Mission World - Jul, 2010
02.07.2010
Washington (FIDES) - “The starting point for ministering to migrants and refugees is to understand their situation and all its components in the light of God’s Word and to recognize its commitment to get involved. Naturally it also has to address those factors that cause their up-rootedness.
In this commitment the Church is guided by the 'permanent principles' of its 'social doctrine that constitute the very heart of Catholic social teaching.'” This was affirmed by the President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, Archbishop Antonio Maria Veglio, in his opening speech at the Regional Consultation of the American Bishops' Conferences on Migration being held in Washington, DC, June 2-4, on the theme: “Renewing Hope, Seeking Justice.”
The Consultation is focusing on responding better to the needs of migrants and refugees in the Americas, confronting the deeper causes of migration through a more efficient coordination of services, pastoral care, and advocacy policies.
Archbishop Veglio pointed out that the United States is home to 38 million immigrants and “the USA has been shaped by the efforts of migrants not only in former days but also nowadays. Migrants have become essential for the US economy. They make up a large part of the national workforce.”
However the changes seen in society such as the rapid growth in the Spanish language spoken in the churches, pastoral work that largely depends on foreign priests, the concentration of ethnic restaurants in a given area - “do not reflect an increased acceptance of “otherness” and a willingness to mutual - reciprocal change.
A new form of displacement is now on its way, the President of the Pontifical Council for Migrants said: “People are moving away, since they can no longer make a living as a results of desertification and growing water scarcity, increasing sea-levels and 'salinisation' of agricultural land. As a result conflicts about resources increase. This new form of displacement will have enormous consequences for decades to come.
The frequently cited and accepted estimates of 200 million climate-induced displaced persons by 2050 indicate the gigantic dimension of the problem. Human migration will undoubtedly be one of the most significant consequences of the change in climate.”
In concluding his address, Archbishop Veglio recalled how the Church and dioceses have been active in this area. This is why “the risk exists that we are so much taken up by our involvement that we just perceive those in migration as work cases or job seekers.
Hospitality can protect us from such behavior. Hospitality is not so much a task as a way of living our lives and of sharing... Welcome, compassion and equal treatment are all part of an appropriate Christian response, which will break down social barriers. It is a response to the needs of persons, but also a recognition of their worth and common humanity.”
Excerpt from Zenit.org, December 1, 2009.
