Address given by Bishop Anthony Randazzo, Bishop of Broken Bay, President FCBCO, on the occasion of the gathering in Sydney, Australia, of the Migrants and Refugees Oceania Network (MRON). Wednesday 10 December 2025
My dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
It is a joy and a privilege to welcome you all this evening to Mary MacKillop Place. This sacred site, where the legacy of Saint Mary of the Cross continues to inspire our Church in Australia and across our region, is a fitting place for us to gather as the Migrants and Refugees Oceania Network. Here we remember a woman whose steadfast faith and courageous compassion shaped communities, uplifted the poor, and ensured that no one was forgotten. It is in that same spirit that we meet tonight.
I acknowledge each of you who carry the mission of the Church in service of migrants, refugees, people on the move, and communities in need. I warmly welcome the representatives of our four member conferences of bishops of Oceania.
I greet with deep gratitude our partners from Caritas Aotearoa New Zealand; the Migrants and Refugees Desk of the Catholic Bishops Conference of Papua New Guinea and Solomon Islands; the Episcopal Conference of the Pacific; the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference; the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development; the International Catholic Migration Commission; the Vincentian Refugee Network; the Australian Catholic Religious Against Trafficking in Humans; Jesuit Refugee Service Australia; and the Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney.
Your presence here is a powerful sign of unity in mission. It reminds us that although we are separated by sea and ocean, we are truly one in the Body of Christ.
This evening, I would like to share with you the vision that the Federation of Catholic Bishops Conferences of Oceania holds for our newly established Migrants and Refugees Oceania Network. I hope also to offer a word of encouragement, as together we shape a future anchored in the Gospel, in Catholic social teaching, and in a deep love for the peoples of our vast region.
A Vision Shaped by Faith and Responsibility
In May last year, the Executive Committee of the Federation approved the creation of the Migrants and Refugees Oceania Network. In doing so we sought to respond to urgent pastoral needs that span all our nations. The Federation is tasked with enabling collaboration among our member conferences so that pastoral action may be coordinated in areas of common concern.
Migration and displacement touch every corner of our region, and the lives of countless families. The Migrants and Refugees Oceania Network therefore represents not only a practical response, but a profoundly pastoral one. It is one of the ways in which we humbly seek to be instruments of solidarity.
Our vision is simple, yet ambitious. We desire a region where every person on the move is treated with dignity, protected from harm, and accompanied with genuine Christian care. We want Oceania to be a place where people who are displaced or vulnerable encounter, through us, the face of Christ. We want our Church to speak clearly and act courageously for justice, mercy, and the common good. And we want the Migrants and Refugees Oceania Network to be a catalyst that strengthens advocacy, cooperation, and connection across all our islands and nations.
Three Core Areas of Concern
The work ahead of us focuses on three major areas of concern: people displaced or affected by climate change; seasonal workers; and the plight of West Papua refugees and others seeking sanctuary in Oceania.
The Federation hopes that the Migrants and Refugees Oceania Network will become a body of shared wisdom and shared action, a place where our collective expertise, pastoral experience, and spiritual insight can be harnessed for the good of our people.
Allow me to speak briefly about each area.
1. People Displaced by Climate Change
Across Oceania, climate change is not an abstract theory. It is already shaping the movement of peoples, particularly in atoll nations such as Tuvalu, Kiribati, Tokelau, and the Marshall Islands. Rising seas, soil salinity, and extreme weather patterns place whole communities at risk. It is essential that we advocate for regional recognition of climate-induced mobility and that we do so with clarity, compassion, and urgency.
Our vision includes stronger collaboration with governments, regional organisations, and civil society so that policy frameworks truly protect those whose homelands are threatened. At the same time, we must ensure that any relocation or adaptation processes are inclusive, and community led. The voices of all, women, men, youth, and Indigenous peoples must shape the way forward.
We also see the great value of cooperation with scientists and disaster-response experts, so that our pastoral strategies are grounded in sound data and shared understanding. By establishing regional knowledge-sharing systems and hosting ongoing forums, the Migrants and Refugees Oceania Network can become a vital space where communities, policymakers, and Church partners work together.
2. Seasonal Workers Across the Region
Seasonal labour mobility programmes in Australia and Aotearoa New Zealand have brought significant economic benefits to families and communities throughout the Pacific. Yet we know that many of these workers face challenges that touch not only their finances, but also their wellbeing, dignity, and family life.
The Federation hopes that the Network will advocate for fair working conditions, transparent recruitment, safe accommodation, and genuine protection for workers, including portability of entitlements. We want to work closely with governments, unions, employers, and Pacific embassies so that seasonal workers are treated with the honour and respect that their labour deserves.
Cooperation here involves not only policy work, but also pastoral care. Our parishes, dioceses, and Catholic organisations have a profound role to play in offering hospitality, accompaniment, cultural support, and a sense of belonging.
We also encourage practical initiatives: worker peer networks, multilingual information materials, and opportunities for spiritual nourishment.
The words of Saint Paul VI in Populorum Progressio remain strikingly relevant. Paul VI reminded us of our duty to offer a warm welcome to those who leave their homes seeking opportunity and education. He spoke of shielding them from isolation and discouragement, and of the role of Christian charity in upholding their dignity. These teachings must remain central to our mission.
3. West Papua Refugees and Other Refugees in Oceania
Our region is home to thousands who have fled violence, hardship, or insecurity. Among them are West Papua refugees, whose situation is often marked by uncertainty. There are also many from other nations who seek refuge in our part of the world.
The Migrants and Refugees Oceania Network has an important role in advocating for access to asylum procedures, humanitarian visas, and pathways that allow families to rebuild their lives in safety. We must also encourage governments to recognise long-standing refugee communities whose status remains unclear. Here too, cooperation and connection are vital.
Our Church agencies can collaborate with the United Nations Refugee Agency, humanitarian organisations, and migrant-led groups to ensure that people receive legal assistance, trauma-informed care, and opportunities for education and livelihoods. We can also assist in developing community-led advisory groups that give refugees a voice in shaping their own futures.
Strengthening Our Collaboration
The Federation hopes that the work of the Network will deepen collaboration among all our partners, including the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development and the International Catholic Migration Commission.
The Migrants and Refugees Oceania Network will serve as our unified voice within these global bodies, ensuring that the unique experiences of Oceania are heard and respected.
Stronger collaboration also means building the capacity of local organisations, supporting training programmes, and encouraging youth leadership. It means creating cross-regional research partnerships and aligning our efforts with existing Pacific frameworks such as the 2018 Boé Declaration, that recognises security in the Pacific as broad, human-centred, and deeply connected to the wellbeing of our people. Together we can collaborate in affirming that climate change is the single greatest threat to the security of Pacific nations. Together we can promote strong cooperation among governments, communities, and regional partners, emphasising human dignity, environmental protection, and resilience.
We could also strengthen our mission by being attentive to The Global Compact for Migration. While not legally binding, this international agreement adopted by the United Nations in 2018 provides a shared framework to help countries manage migration in a humane, coordinated, and responsible way.
The Compact recognises that migration is part of our human story, but that it must be supported by systems that protect human dignity, prevent exploitation, and ensure that people are able to move safely and legally. It encourages cooperation between nations, promotes fair and ethical recruitment, strengthens the protection of migrants in vulnerable situations, and seeks to reduce the pressures, such as poverty, conflict, and environmental change, that force people to leave their homes.
For our region, The Compact offers practical guidance that aligns closely with Catholic social teaching and supports our pastoral mission to accompany migrants, uphold their rights, and foster pathways to safety and hope.
Most importantly, collaboration means trust. It means recognising the gifts that each organisation in this room brings, and offering those gifts freely for the sake of the Gospel and the good of our people.
Renewing Our Mission of Welcome
As we look towards the sixtieth anniversary of Populorum Progressio in 2027, I invite us all to reflect on the words of Saint Paul VI, who visited Oceania in 1970, and who insisted that welcoming the stranger is a duty of human solidarity and Christian charity.
He asked that nations, families, and institutions open their doors, especially to young people, so that they may find community rather than loneliness; hope rather than despair; and a future that honours their dignity. This teaching remains at the heart of our work.
To welcome is not simply to provide shelter or services, although these are essential. To welcome is to see the other as a brother or sister. It is to recognise Christ in the migrant, the refugee, the worker far from home, the person displaced by storms or rising seas. When we welcome, we proclaim the Gospel with our actions, sometimes more loudly than with our words. This is the very heart of mission and evangelisation.
One in the Body of Christ
My sisters and brothers, the peoples of Oceania know what it means to be bound together by the ocean. The great waters that lie between us do not divide us. They connect us. They unite us. They teach us to navigate by the stars of the Southern Cross in our night sky, to trust in Providence, and to respect the fragility and beauty of creation.
In the same way, the Body of Christ binds us together across distance and diversity. It calls us to unity in purpose, unity in compassion, and unity in love.
I encourage each member of the Migrants and Refugees Oceania Network to continue building this unity. Share your wisdom. Support one another. Pray for one another. And let your work be a beacon of hope for all who journey across our region in search of safety, opportunity, and peace.
Conclusion
Tonight, we ask the intercession of Saint Mary of the Cross, whose steadfast courage uplifted the poor and the forgotten across this land; of Saint Peter To Rot, whose unshakeable faith defended the dignity of family and community in Papua New Guinea; of Saint Peter Chanel, whose missionary zeal brought the light of Christ to the islands of the Pacific; and of Venerable Suzanne Aubert, whose compassionate service in Aotearoa upheld the mana and dignity of every person she encountered.
May their witness inspire us to recognise Christ in the poor and to honour the God-given dignity of every human person. May they guide our efforts. May they inspire our courage. And may they help us continue the sacred work of welcoming the stranger, strengthening our communities, and promoting the best of Catholic culture, community, and care.
I thank you for your commitment, your partnership, and your faith. May the Migrants and Refugees Oceania Network grow ever stronger, ever more united, and ever more faithful to the mission of Christ.
May the peace of Christ be with you always.
Thank you.