The national meeting of social and pastoral workers for migrants of the Portuguese Church kicked off today in Lisbon. “Share the journey: to welcome, to protect, to promote and to integrate migrants and refugees” is the title of the event that will be held until Sunday, 14 January, with a view to “identifying the Church’s best practices at national level in the reception, promotion, protection and integration of migrants and refugees” so as to “articulate the pastoral response around the four verbs” indicated by the Pope. The meeting was called for by Caritas, the Portuguese Catholic Society of Migration (OCPM), and Ecclesia news agency. This afternoon will be devoted to the exchange of “good practices”, while tonight’s reflection will begin with a speech by Martina Liebsch (Caritas Internationalis). Tomorrow’s debate will approach, in four successive steps, the four verbs suggested by Pope Francis in his Message for the World Day of Migrants: to welcome (in the family, at school, in communities); to protect rights and dignity; to promote (on the personal, professional and spiritual levels); and to integrate (individuals and cultures). The meeting will end with a conference on “how to conjugate” the four verbs related to migration and with a solemn Mass in a parish in Lisbon.