Pope Leo said their suffering “touches us profoundly” and shows how war destroys innocent lives, adding that such stories call believers to act with compassion and courage.
“Their experiences invite us to take a stand to ensure that no one else will have to flee from his or her country due to senseless and cruel conflicts,” he said during a meeting with bishops, priests, consecrated persons, and pastoral workers at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lebanon in Harissa.
“And that whoever knocks at the doors of our communities may never feel rejected, but welcomed with the words that Loren herself stated: ‘Welcome home!’” the pope added.
He praised migrants’ courage, saying it “speaks to us of God’s light” even in suffering, and cited Pope Francis in warning against indifference to the plight of displaced people.
Capobres told the pope that migrants “are not just workers,” but contributors who care for families, support parishes, and “carry hope” despite hardship.
She thanked God for allowing her to serve “the lost and the broken,” saying that small acts of love from the Church continue to change migrants’ lives.
Pope Leo said Capobres’ witness shows how the Church can remain a place of safety, welcome and belonging for people forced far from home by violence and fear.