Pope Benedict said the world has a responsibility to help refugees find places to live and work in safety, as part of its vocation to form "one family."

Welcoming refugees is an "imperative gesture of human solidarity," the pope said in a message released at the Vatican Oct. 26.

"This means that those who are forced to leave their homes or their country will be helped to find a place where they may live in peace and safety, where they may work and take on the rights and duties that exist in the country that welcomes them."

The pope made the comments in his message for the 2011 World Day for Migrants and Refugees, which will be celebrated Jan. 16.