Welcoming the most vulnerable with dignity, no matter their suffering

This demand is generally met with incredulous comments such as: “This is a utopia!”  Or even: “We can’t take in all the poor people in the world”. 

Therefore, to assess what is at stake here, let us start with some examples of what “welcoming” is not.

Welcoming means not closing the door on someone who is hungry. It means not leaving someone who is cold or who is at risk of becoming ill on the street.

It means not leaving someone to drown in the sea.

Welcoming means extending a hand and looking at the Other in the eyes. 

Welcoming is a gesture that makes us human when we come across someone who is suffering. 

Welcoming to provide assistance is also the duty of any society that has promised, in line with international treaties, that no one should be deprived of their dignity and fundamental rights.

Welcoming is the prerequisite for an excluded person to regain their rightful place in society.