The following is the Message from the Prefect of the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, the Reverend Sr. Alessandra Smerilli, F.M.A., on the occasion of World Fisheries Day, to be held on 21 November 2026:

Message

“Come and have breakfast” (Jn 21:12)

Dear Sisters and Brothers,

Last year, on World Fisheries Day, we reflected on Peter’s words to Jesus: “At your word I will let down the nets” (Lk 5:5). This year the Gospel brings us to another night of empty nets. The disciples worked until dawn and had caught nothing. Tired, perhaps discouraged, they turned towards land, and there, on the shore, the risen Lord was waiting. He did not ask what they had caught. He had already lit a charcoal fire and prepared bread and fish (cf. Jn 21:3–9). His words were only: “Come and have breakfast” (v. 12).

This episode reminds us that Christ’s concern extends to the concrete circumstances of those who work at sea, their living and working conditions, and the well-being of their families. Before entrusting Peter with a mission, Jesus welcomes him, feeds him and restores communion. The Church is likewise called to show care for workers, including fishers and their families.

Across the many different realities of fishing — from industrial vessels and small wooden boats to busy ports, quiet coasts, lakes and rivers, and among the local crews and migrant workers — three appeals emerge with particular urgency: to see the person, to protect life, and to remain close.

To see the person: behind every fish that reaches a market or a family table, there is a human being. Fishers are not merely labor in a supply chain, figures in a report or costs in a commercial calculation. They are women and men with names and stories, with gifts, fears and hopes. Their dignity, as a gift from God inherent in every human person, must be recognized and respected, regardless of the economic value of their work, the flag of the vessel on which they serve, or their nationality and legal status. His Holiness Pope Leo XIV reminds us that “the fundamental dignity of each person […] is neither acquired nor earned, nor does it need to be justified” (Magnifica Humanitas, 53). Yet those far from shore are often far from public attention.

To see the fisher is also to see and recognize the closely associated lives and work of others. This includes the work of women — all too rarely acknowledged—who process and sell the catch, mend the nets, keep the accounts and hold families together. It means remembering the families who carry the weight of every departure. It also means listening to young people unsure whether the sea still holds a future for them and to migrant fishers whose language or legal status leaves them afraid to ask for help.

The second appeal is to protect life. The fire Jesus lit on the shore was a concrete gesture of care, and it calls us to protect fishers’ lives, uphold their dignity, and ensure decent working conditions. This means safe vessels, adequate training and rest, fair wages and contracts, and protection from exploitation and abuse. International standards, including the International Labour Organization Work in Fishing Convention of 2007 (No. 188), are essential to ensuring that these protections become a reality.

Care for the sea cannot be separated from care for those who make their living by it. Pollution, declining fish stocks and climate change are placing growing pressure on marine ecosystems and fishing communities alike. As fish stocks shift and catches become less predictable, many fishers face higher costs and greater risks. Sustainable fishing must therefore protect both the marine environment and the livelihoods of fishing communities, recognizing small-scale fishers as partners whose knowledge is essential to this effort.

On this day, we remember and pray for those who have died or disappeared at sea, those injured, detained, exploited or abandoned, and the families still waiting for news. May our remembrance be marked not only by sorrow, but also by a commitment to prevention, justice and faithful accompaniment.

The third appeal is to remain close. The Church is called to accompany fishers at every stage, from recruitment to the long weeks at sea and the return home, so that no one is left alone when a contract ends or when injury and trauma occur. This presence includes prayer and the sacraments, and it must also help families reach competent medical, legal and consular assistance. The Church does not replace governments, employers or fishers’ organizations, but it has a distinctive role alongside them: to bring hidden suffering to light and foster a shared commitment to the dignity, rights and well-being of fishers.

At the port of Arguineguín in Gran Canaria, Spain, Pope Leo XIV said that “the Gospel pulls us out of our comfortable position as spectators”, and that “Jesus’ disciples cannot dismiss the cries of those who call out in the night” (Address at the Port of Arguineguín, 11 June 2026). The Holy Father was speaking of migrants arriving by sea, yet his words reach every shore where human dignity is violated. Indeed, this vigilance invites our maritime ministries to become a dependable presence for those reaching land, a Church that stays when public attention has moved on.

I therefore invite local Churches and all people of good will to take three concrete actions in the coming year, one for each of these appeals. To see the person: listen to fishers and their families. To protect life: strengthen an initiative promoting safety, decent work or family support. To remain close: build a reliable partnership to assist fishers in danger or distress. Small, sustained and coordinated actions can become harbors of hope.

With heartfelt gratitude, I call to mind the chaplains, volunteers and pastoral workers of the Apostleship of the Sea, who serve in local Churches throughout the world. Through their presence in ports and maritime communities, their assistance to fishers and their families, and their support in times of difficulty, they give concrete expression to the Church’s pastoral concern. I likewise express my gratitude to fishers’ organizations and maritime welfare partners.

“Come and have breakfast.” These words of Jesus are spoken today to both those who come back with full nets and to those who come back with nothing; to those who fish close to home and to those who cross oceans and borders; to those whose labor is honored and to those who remain unseen. There is a place for everyone around Christ’s fire. No one is measured by what they produce; each is welcomed as a brother or a sister.

May this World Fisheries Day renew our gratitude for all who bring food from the waters and sustain coastal and inland communities. Mary, Morning Star in every storm, watch over those who go out upon the waters and those who wait for their return. Mary, Star of the Sea, lead us all to the shore where the risen Christ has prepared a place for us, where hope is restored and where we learn, at last, to care for one another.

Sister Alessandra Smerilli FMA
Prefect
Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development