“Many migrants would never have left their homeland had they not been forced to”. Among these, the Pope mentioned “many Christians who in great numbers have abandoned their native lands these past years, despite the fact that they have dwelt there from the earliest days of Christianity”. In his speech to the Diplomatic Corps, Francis pointed out that “Today, too, we are listening to the cry of those who would readily return to their own country, if only there they could find adequate conditions of security and sustenance. Here too my thoughts turn to the Christians of the Middle East, who desire to contribute fully as citizens to the spiritual and material well-being of their respective nations”.