Bilateral meeting Costa Rica-Panama calls to protect migrant children and tear down borders of indifference

Migrant children and adolescents were at the center of the Church's call during the Bilateral Meeting of Human Mobility Pastoral, held on September 17 at the border between Costa Rica and Panama, as part of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees 2026.

Migrant people, organizations that accompany their processes, and representatives of the human mobility pastoral of Costa Rica and Panama participated in the meeting. The event also featured the presence of Monsignor Juan Miguel Castro, Bishop of San Isidro; Monsignor Daniel Francisco Blanco Méndez, Auxiliary Bishop of San José and President of the National Commission of Human Mobility; and Monsignor Luis Enrique Saldaña, Bishop of David, Panama.

With the motto “Even one of these little ones,” proposed by Pope Leo XIV, the event united prayer, a symbolic gesture at the border, and the celebration of the Eucharist in Panamanian territory.

In his message, Monsignor Juan Miguel Castro he emphasized that national borders cannot limit fraternity or the recognition of the dignity of migrant people. “At a border, where states establish their limits, Christians are called to remember that fraternity has no borders”, he stated.

The bishop of San Isidro invited us to look at migrant people from their dignity and not from their migratory status. “Before being a foreigner, migrant, or refugee, whoever comes to us is a person, a brother, a sister, a son, or a daughter of God”, he said.

The prelate asked that hospitality not remain just words, but be translated into concrete gestures of welcome and accompaniment. “Hospitality begins with simple gestures: looking without prejudice, listening with respect, offering guidance, sharing food, protecting those in danger, and accompanying those who are alone.”

“Hospitality also requires rejecting xenophobia, indifference, and all forms of exploitation. It is not enough to feel compassion; like the good Samaritan, we are called to see, approach, and care,” he pointed out.

On the other hand, in his intervention Monsignor Daniel Francisco Blanco Méndez placed welcome at the center of the Christian response to migration, based on the motto of the meeting: “Whoever welcomes one of these, welcomes me.”

Faced with a reality that is often expressed in numbers, Monsignor Blanco Méndez called to not lose sight of the faces and stories of migrant minors. “Each one has a face, a story, a family, fears and hopes”, he asserted.

“Welcoming a migrant person, protecting a child, reuniting a family or accompanying someone who has been left alone is not just a humanitarian act: it is an act of faith and a meeting with Christ himself,” he stated.

Blanco Méndez called for hospitality to become a permanent practice in Christian communities, going beyond initiatives by specialized groups or institutions. “The Holy Father asks us to transform hospitality from an abstract concept into a constant pastoral practice,” he said.

In light of the risks faced by migrant minors, the bishop called to guarantee conditions that protect their lives, their rights, and their family ties. “We must prevent them from being separated from their families; guarantee them protection, education, and opportunities; and prevent all forms of violence, trafficking, exploitation, discrimination, and rejection,” he expressed.

The religious leader warned that no border control mechanism can take precedence over human dignity. “Border management can never be above the sacred value of the human person”, he assured.

The meeting of the images of the Virgin of the Angels and Santa María la Antigua, patrons of Costa Rica and Panama, respectively, became a sign of brotherhood between both peoples. For Blanco Méndez, “borders can mark the limits between nations, but they should never become limits for brotherhood, compassion, and human dignity”.

The bishop of San Isidro called to not underestimate the value of everyday actions of welcome and accompaniment. “Every gesture of welcome, no matter how small it may seem, can restore hope and save a life,” he affirmed.

The meeting brought together diocesan priests and Scalabrinian, Vincentian, Claretian, Franciscan, and Augustinian religious, along with migrant people and support organizations on both sides of the border.

Binational Meeting-Mons-Daniel-Costa-Rica.pdf

Message from Mons. Juan Miguel Castro.pdf