"We must become a 'we' that is ever wider and more co-responsible." Quoting Pope Francis’ Message for the 107th World Day of Migrants and Refugees, Chargé D’affaires of the Apostolic Nunciature in Jordan Monsignor Mauro Lalli visited the Palestinian Refugee Camp of Jerash on Tuesday, June 22.  Upon arrival, Monsignor  Lalli was welcomed by Marta Lorenzo, director of UNRWA Affairs, Jordan.

The Pope’s representative wished to witness the Holy Father’s closeness to the humblest and the most vulnerable on the occasion of World Refugee Day, and to recall the solidarity of the Holy See towards the problem of Palestinian refugees and their living conditions.

Monsignor Lalli recalled the Pope’s words:  "The ideal of the new Jerusalem calls on all peoples to be united in peace and harmony. To achieve this ideal, however, we must make every effort to break down the walls that separate us and, in acknowledging our profound interconnection, build bridges that foster a culture of encounter".

In the Jerash Camp, the Pope’s representative visited some projects and services managed by UNRWA. Through its relief and social services programs, UNRWA is responsible for the registration of 2.47 million Palestinian refugees residing in Jordan. The Relief Program currently offers regular assistance to 58,899 social safety net beneficiaries (approximately 12,250 families). They are identified to be the poorest among all Palestinian refugees in the country, including about 11,000 Gazans, 85 per cent of them live in Jerash Camp. In 2013 the Relief Program beneficiaries ceiling was frozen due to limited resources, but today there are 82,000 people (approximately 16,000 families) in the waiting list.

"In our day, the Church is called upon to go out into the streets of every existential periphery in order to heal wounds and to seek out the straying", Monsignor Lalli stressed, assuring the support of the Holy See in the meritorious work carried out by UNHCR in the Palestinian refugee camps such as that of Jerash.