Quoting Pope Benedict's recent encyclical Deus Caritas Est (God is Love), Cardinal Martino reminded ICMC's members from Europe, Africa, North and South America, Asia and Australia that it is essential in their work with refugees, migrants and internally displaced persons to "distinguish themselves not just responding to immediate needs" but in ways that "enable people to experience the fullness of their humanity."

Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington joined in calling for policies and programs that place greater emphasis on the centrality of the human being in matters of migration and development. "Pope John XXIII said that 'development is the word for peace'," Cardinal McCarrick recalled. "Helping people who are displaced to find a place to settle is the great cause for development, and the great cause for peace."

Both Cardinals and another 40 Bishops and leaders of Catholic organizations endorsed the strategic plan that ICMC will pursue through the end of the decade, adding to its traditional work with refugees and other forced migrants new activities and advocacy related to economic migration and the connection between international migration and development. ICMC will be one of the 12 speakers for the hearings that the United Nations General Assembly is holding on migration and development July 12th in New York. The new strategy will also increase the dynamics between the Bishops' Conferences on the basis of the tremendous global challenge that migration issues present today. ICMC's Council also elected a new President, Mr. John Michael Klink, from the USA. Mr. Klink will take up duties in 2007 and in the meantime work closely with Professor Stefano Zamagni, the outgoing President, during the course of this year.

Among other speakers were Archbishop Silvano Tomasi, Permanent Representative of the Holy See to the UN in Geneva and Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio of the Diocese of Brooklyn, New York. Bishop DiMarzio spoke of his work as one of the 19 international members of the esteemed Global Commission on International Migration, which recently issued a groundbreaking report that contains 33 recommendations for greater cooperation and coherence in government responses to international migration.