Alberto Ares Mateos, SJ, Director of JRS Europe; Jennifer Gómez Torres, PhD, migration researcher and member of Cáritas Española; and María del Carmen de la Fuente, Director of the Jesuit Migrant Service in Spain published a book entitled "Ser Puerta Abierta" (To Be an Open Door). They bring together theology, biblical tradition, and the lived experience of those who accompany displaced people every day. They present hospitality not as a one-time gesture, but as a profound spiritual force capable of healing wounds, reconciling communities, and building a shared future. The book can be acquired here.

The number of people forced to flee their homes has surpassed 123 million worldwide — the highest in history. In the face of this staggering reality, three migration experts call for a simple yet radical response: hospitality.

A Prophetic Call for Hospitality

The book’s launch coincides with the 111th World Day of Migrants and Refugees and the Jubilee of Migrants in Rome (October 4–5). In his message for the occasion, Pope Leo XIV described migrants and refugees as “messengers of hope,” echoing the authors’ conviction that hospitality is more than charity: it is a prophetic act of justice and reconciliation.

Hospitality has become a central value for the Society of Jesus, inspiring initiatives such as GIAN Migration, the Paths of Hospitality campaign, and JRS Europe’s policy paper on Hospitality-Driven Reception. From local “communities of hospitality” to international advocacy, Jesuit works seek to transform the way societies welcome people on the move, grounding action in dignity, autonomy, and solidarity.

A Growing Crisis, a Spiritual Response

Over the past decade, the number of forcibly displaced people has almost tripled, rising from 43 million to over 123 million, according to UNHCR. The Jesuit Refugee Service alone supported more than 1.15 million people in 2024, including nearly 200,000 across Europe, offering education, legal aid, healthcare, and pastoral care.

This reality, lived daily by those accompanying refugees, shapes the vision of Ser puerta abierta. The authors insist that hospitality is not optional — it is both an ancient tradition and a revolutionary practice.

“The question is no longer only how to manage arrivals,” they write, “but what kind of society we want to build together. To open the door is to change lives — ours and theirs alike.”