Rome: As the world marks the Jubilee of Migrants, Brother Michael Schöpf, SJ, International Director of the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS), has issued a stark reminder: providing aid to migrants and refugees is a moral imperative, not a choice. Speaking to Vatican News, Brother Schöpf highlighted the mounting challenges faced by displaced populations worldwide and warned that political neglect has shifted from oversight to deliberate exclusion.
According to Brother Schöpf, 2025 has seen a dangerous escalation in the vulnerability of displaced people. “We have entered a period of deliberate starvation of refugees,” he said, reflecting on years spent at the frontline of forced migration. He described a global landscape in which solidarity is eroding, political hostility is rising, and societies that once championed compassion are increasingly paralyzed by indifference.
The humanitarian crisis, Brother Schöpf explains, is not merely the result of conflict, climate change, or natural disasters it is increasingly a product of political decisions. Western nations, including both conservative and traditionally progressive governments, are cutting aid budgets, restricting migration policies, and dismantling structures of support for refugees. “When you compare development budgets with defense and security spending, it is clear this is not about lack of resources. It’s a deliberate withdrawal of solidarity,” he said.
One prominent example is Kakuma, one of the largest refugee camps in northern Kenya, where JRS has provided education and pastoral support for years. Policy shifts now threaten to reduce secondary school placements from 14,000 to a few hundred, effectively denying many refugee youth access to education. “This, too, is a form of starvation,” Brother Schöpf warned. Food aid has also been drastically reduced, leaving many refugees surviving on the equivalent of just $0.20 a day, creating crushing social consequences for families and communities.
Brother Schöpf described two dynamics shaping the global response to refugees: hostility and numbness. Populist leaders and governments have politicized terms like “migrant” and “refugee,” turning them into tools for exclusion. At the same time, even well-meaning decision-makers often feel overwhelmed and paralyzed, unable to respond effectively to the scale of the crisis.
Challenging the notion that refugees are a burden, Brother Schöpf emphasized that displaced people are not the problem they are part of the solution. Inclusion and solidarity are not only moral obligations but practical necessities. Ignoring the needs of refugees, he warned, risks leading societies down paths of hostility or indifference.
For Brother Schöpf, the solution lies in community-based solidarity. Initiatives such as families in France hosting refugees for short-term stays demonstrate the transformative power of human connection. “This creates more than shelter it creates belonging. It says: You matter,” he said. This vision aligns with the Church’s call, emphasized by both Pope Francis and Pope Leo, to cultivate a culture of encounter and shared humanity.
Humanitarian aid, Brother Schöpf insists, is not optional. “It is not optional to let people die,” he said, urging individuals and governments alike to embrace moral responsibility. Despite the challenges, he remains hopeful, pointing to the resilience of refugees themselves and the transformative potential of solidarity. “Our task at JRS is to stay present, to live in solidarity, and to recognize one another as brothers and sisters. In this shared struggle lies the seed of hope,” he affirmed.
In a world increasingly marked by exclusion and neglect, Brother Schöpf’s message is clear: compassion is not charity it is duty, and solidarity is not optional it is essential for the dignity and survival of humanity itself.