“The Catholic Church in Asia Cares for the Migrants in Taiwan”
March 16-19, 2007 - Wencui Center
Taipei, Taiwan.
The Church in Taiwan:
perspective and experience
Prepared by:
Fr. Bruno Ciceri
Executive Secretary
ECMI - Taiwan
The Catholic Church in Taiwan like all the other Churches in Asia (except for the Philippines) is a tiny minority. According to the 2004 Catholic Directory the Catholic faithful in Taiwan were only 298,028 out of 23million of people.
If we look at the statistics we can see that as of January 2007 the total number of foreign workers was 341,871 and the new immigrants 383,204. These combined numbers who do not include white collar workers is more than double the actual Catholic population, this is a fact that has to be considered.
Local level: receiving church
The foreign workers were present in Taiwan even before the government started regulating the market with the Employment Service Act in 1992, and the Catholic Church was very much aware of the situation of these undocumented workers that in February 1989 the bishops wrote a pastoral letter ( Letter of the Chinese Bishops' Conference on the question of foreign workers ).
In the letter the bishops were expressing their concern for the foreign workers “which problem becomes more and more serious with each passing day” and were expressing their desire to help the government “in solving this urgent social problem”
The bishops were appealing:
• To the Legislators and Magistrates : “ to search for a solution that is compassionate, reasonable and in conformity with the laws.”
• To the Employers : pointing out that some of them “ earn unjust profits by deception, exploitation and other devious ways. Such people build their happiness on the sufferings of others.” and inviting them to “always pay attention to the welfare and the just retribution of their workers.”
• To the Foreign Workers: “ We understand and sympathize deeply with your painful situation.” “You, foreign workers who are disciples of Jesus, if you can show the spirit of Christ in your life and your work, will be the messengers of the Gospel, spreading the good news of the kingdom.”
• To the Parishes: “ For the Catholic foreign workers, the parish is the most appropriate place to hold their religious and social activities. For the non-Catholics, it is also an appropriate place for social activities as well as for getting acquainted with our faith. Where there are foreign workers, the parish should establish a committee that will care for them, planning pastoral and apostolic work, organizing hospitality and visits, as well as welcoming new arrivals and sending-off departing workers.”
In response to the bishops' letter the Migrant Workers' Concern Desk under the Commission for Social Development of the Chinese Regional Bishops' Conference (CRBC) was established, but as far as I know the parishes throughout the island at that time failed to answer to the appeal of the bishops.
In the meantime in 1993 the Episcopal Commission for Migrants and Itinerant People (ECMI) was created and in April 1996 the Chinese Regional Bishops' Conference (CRBC) decided to celebrate the National Migration Sunday on the Sunday before or after the feast of the first Filipino Saint Lorenzo Ruiz (September 28).
Almost ten years later in September 1998 the bishops issued another pastoral letter ( Solidarity, a pastoral service for foreign workers).
The bishops were recognizing that: “Foreign workers have become the fourth largest group in the Taiwanese population, after the aborigines.” and “The entry of a large number of foreign workers has had a great impact on Taiwanese society.”
For the first time a concern is express for the new immigrants or the foreign brides as they were called at that time: “Data from our pastoral workers indicate that there are thousands of mixed marriages involving Chinese and foreigners….How can we help this type of families, including the education and religious formation of the second generation?”
Lastly the dioceses were invited to establish a Migrants' Concern Desk : “Each diocese is to institute a section for the pastoral care of foreign workers which will explore ways to improve services for foreign workers.”
More recently on the pastoral letter for 2007 (Social Concern and Evangelization) among other issue the bishops spokes about: “ Concern for New Immigrants and Migrants ” and once again are appealing for a concrete response to theirs needs: “ It is our hope that dioceses, deaneries and parishes establish, according to their respective function and capacity, a pastoral center to welcome and serve new immigrants or foreign workers and most specially, foreign spouses so that they are able to integrate into the local social life without delay.
Dioceses, deaneries or parishes should establish an Emergency Processing Center or a New Immigrants Desk and an emergency processing service Foundation in view of resolving life problems of foreign workers or foreign spouses”
If we have to make an assessment of the commitment of the Catholic Church in Taiwan at the service of the foreign workers we can say that there is increase awareness (on the part of some bishops) on the difficult situation of the foreign workers in Taiwan and a genuine desire to respond to their needs is emerging but there is still a long way to go…
Here are some of the challenges lying ahead for the local church:
1) The assistance to the foreign workers is not yet a service offered by the local church. The people involved in this ministry are all foreign missionaries, it is necessary that more local clergy and lay people should be involved.
I have the feeling that sometimes even if the local people would like to do something for the foreign workers and new immigrants they do not what to do, they are not prepared because of the differences on culture religion and language and they are negatively influenced by what they hear and read in the mass media. In this regard is important to establish a formation programme that will educate whole our Catholic starting from the bishops, clergy and seminarians down to the last of the faithful in the parish.
If there are qualified people who are interested and willing to make a serious commitment to the cause of migrants the Scalabrinian Congregation is willing to offer a scholarship for Scalabrini Institute of Human Mobility (SIMI).
2) Foreign workers and new immigrants in the local churches should be welcomed not as “guests” but as real brothers and sisters in Christ. They are people with feelings, emotions and not machines, they need spaces to pray, to relax. Some of them have the same faith but they will express it in a different way, they are willing to contribute for the expenses of the church's' structures but do not ask to pay the rent. They would like to be involved in planning and decision making in regard of schedule, activities, construction, etc. They want to have a chance to belong and feel at home in this church.
3) Foreign workers come and go but the new immigrants are here to stay. Many of them are Catholic, is important that the local church will reach out to them with masses in their native languages, offering accompaniment while they are adjusting to the new environment and their children are the promising future of the local church.
Mixed supporting groups could be formed in the parishes so that people can receive encouragement, support, professional Catholic parishioners (doctors, lawyers, teachers, etc.) could provide necessary assistance in time of difficulties.
4) In their first pastoral letter the bishops acknowledge that: “It is part of the mission of the Church to care for the poor and those who are in difficulty, to be the voice of the voiceless, to be a bridge between them and the government as well as their employers.”
My wish is that this voice of the church will be more than a whisper as it has being until now, a voice that is not afraid to denounce injustices, abuses, exploitations and if necessary constructively criticize the governments.
5) The bishops in the 1989 pastoral letter invites: “Persons and organizations that render service to foreign workers in each diocese should have channels to help each other and unite their forces in solving similar cases.” I personally feel that though there are a good number of Catholic NGO's involved in this ministry, we haven't achieved unity in our effort on lobbying and advocating with the government or in dealing with the society at large. We are still fragmented, following different agendas and goals. I understand that the unifying and coordinating force should be ECMI, but ECMI can do it as long as people would like to be unified and coordinated.
6) The local church must understand that the National Migration Sunday celebrated in Taiwan since 1997, is not a celebration for the migrants' communities only but is an occasion for the parishioners to become more aware and be challenged by the problems, difficulties, etc. experience by foreigners in their mist.
7) Migrant workers enter Taiwan through a very corrupt brokers' system. Before arriving in Taiwan they are cheated by their placement agencies in their country of origin and are cheated by their Taiwan brokers after their arrival in Taiwan. The governments are very aware of the corrupt broker's system.
On 20 March 2003, the Taiwan and Philippine governments signed a direct employment agreement, which allows Taiwan employers to directly hire Filipino domestic workers and caregivers without having to go through recruiters and brokers in either country.
The new agreement aims to get rid of the high placement and broker's fees that many abusive placement agencies and brokers are collecting from the Filipinos. As a sign of sincerity and genuine commitment to the cause of the migrant workers Catholic institutions in Taiwan (nursing homes, hospitals, etc.) must start using the direct employment agreement signed by the Taiwan and Philippine governments in order to get their workers. By using this agreement Filipino caregivers will be spared the abuse of paying exorbitant placement and broker's fee. They can use this hard earned money to support the basic needs of their families.
Regional level: sending churches
The Asian bishops wrote: “ Special attention must be paid to migrant workers. Millions of them leave their families to earn their livelihood in other countries. Pastoral care for them in their own ecclesial tradition is most necessary. If they are Christians, a proper formation will enable them to be evangelizers in their host countries. Another group of people that should cause us concern are the refugees. There are millions of them in Asia who have left their countries and are in great need of all kinds of assistance.”
Migration in Asia cannot be adequately dealt with in a unilateral or even bilateral way, but it requires a regional approach especially for a country like Taiwan were several countries are sending over their people to work. Even though in the past personal contacts and visits were exchanged between the sending and receiving churches, I believe is the first time that a conference like this has being held.
Is a great opportunity to get to know each others, share and confront our experiences and hopefully establish a network that will continue long after this conference is over.
1) The workshop will be an important aspect of planning our future strategies of cooperation, sharing of information and networking. How we as churches in Asia could grant assistance and protection to the migrant workers and new immigrants before departure, during their contract and when return home. I would like to suggest that the Federation of Asian Bishops Conferences (FABC) will take the responsibility to organize at the regional level bi-annual conference on migration.
2) International migration is characterized by the policies of sending and receiving countries. Therefore, migration has different characteristics and poses different challenges to the church in the various nations. An annual commune pastoral statement by the bishops' conferences of sending and receiving churches presenting the understanding and approach of the church to the issue, with analysis of causes and report of injustices, will strengthen the lobbying and advocating force of the church in the different countries and give recognition to the dedication of the church to the cause of migrants irrespectively of their religion.
3) Since migration in Asia is huge phenomenon not only involving economic migrants, but also refugees, trafficked and displaced people affecting millions of people every Bishop's Conference must establish an Episcopal Commission for Migrants and Itinerant People (ECMI) . Such commission should not be part of a larger commission because the scope and the services to be offered to the people on the move are unique.
4) The pastoral care of migrant workers and new immigrants is the primary responsibility of the receiving church, often not sufficiently equipped for a ministry which requires knowledge of a different language and culture. Cooperation between the sending church and the receiving church is fundamental and should include clear guidelines for the exchange of pastoral personnel (lay, religious and clergy), and temporary missions organized together.
5) Regional formation programme should be established for people involved in the service to migrant workers and new immigrants. Such formation should provide a general understanding of the migratory phenomenon, a theological approach, and immersion/exposure in the environment and culture of different countries. To help in the formation process, at various levels, a manual on assistance to people on the move in Asia should be prepared
6) Migrant workers and new immigrants should be encouraged to inform the sending catholic community when departing, and contacts should be maintained. Also, instruments for personal prayer and devotion in the native languages should be prepared and provided specifically for them
7) A great number of seafarers are coming from the countries present at this conference and 83% of the fishing industry is based in Asia. Stella Maris Centers or ecumenical centers should be established in all major ports where spiritual, social and material assistance can be offered to seafarers, and assistance provided against cases and abuses and exploitation.
8) Campaign for the ratification of the U.N. International Convention on the Rights of Migrants Workers and their Families. As of today out of the 37 countries that have already ratified the Convention the Philippines is the only country Asia together with Indonesia that is a signatory.
9) Campaign for the ratification of International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 186, the Maritime Labor Convention (that consolidated more than 65 international maritime labor instruments that had been adopted by the ILO over the past 80 years). When ratified the Convention186 will lead to a significant improvement in seafarers' welfare and the same should be done if the New Consolidated Convention on fishing will be adopted this coming June at the ILO regular International Labor Conference.
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