Welcoming and caring for the foreigner

in the light of

Erga migrantes caritas Christi

H.E. Renato Raffaele Card. Martino

President of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care

of Migrants and Itinerant People

1. The Pastoral care of the Church

Human mobility has always been a concern of the Church in the ongoing endeavour to promote and protect human rights and the fundamental dignity of the human person. Through her various interventions underlining her willingness to understand this changing reality, and through concrete proposals on both the pastoral and social level, the Church has been a consistent advocate for the full acceptance of the stranger and his or her cultural and religious heritage as a means to an authentic communion and respect for legitimate diversity.

In this perspective, the Holy See has been aware of the causes of social unrest and the circumstances which often result in the urge to migrate, and has tried to identify the pastoral means by which to support and assist those who on account of their way of life are not adequately catered for by the ordinary pastoral ministry of the parochial clergy or are entirely deprived of it. These include the many migrants, exiles and refugees, seafarers, air-travellers, gypsies, and others of this kind. Suitable pastoral methods, as stated by the Fathers of Vatican II, should also be developed to provide for the spiritual life of people who are on holiday in foreign lands. Episcopal conferences, especially national ones, should pay special attention to the very pressing problems concerning the above-mentioned groups. Through voluntary agreements and united efforts, bishops should promote their spiritual care by means of suitable methods. They should also bear in mind the relevant norms that have already been adopted, or those to be adopted, by the Apostolic See, adapting them to their own times, places and people.

In this regard, recent pronouncements of the Holy See reflect a renewed attention to the ever changing phenomenon of people on the move in the contemporary world. In order to respond to the new pastoral needs of migrants and lead them towards the transformation of their migration experience, it is necessary to recognize the unique opportunity the Church has, not only to assist migrants in their growth in the Christian life, but also to help them to participate in the New Evangelization and mission of the Church. Moreover, it is important to take this opportunity mindful to apply accurately the norms of the Code of Canon Law for the Latin Church and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, so as to respond more adequately to the pastoral needs of the emigrant faithful of the Eastern Churches, who are becoming more and more numerous. The composition of today's migration also requires an ecumenical vision of the phenomenon because many migrants are not in full communion with the Catholic Church. It also requires inter-religious dialogue in view of the increasing number of migrants of other religions, particularly Muslims, in traditionally Catholic countries, and vice-versa. Another need is the promotion of pastoral action that must be both faithful to tradition and open to new developments. This includes pastoral structures which must promote communion between pastoral agents in the field of migration and the local hierarchy in the receiving country ( Erga migrantes caritas Christi – EMCC – n. 3).

Throughout history, the structures of the Church in regard to the pastoral care of migrants have changed. At the same time, the Church must deepen her commitment to confronting this phenomenon. Despite fearful or suspicious reactions to the obvious dangers connected with this kind of mobility, there have been positive innovations in the social and cultural fields that have helped the Church to integrate more effectively the human and spiritual potential that can be found in migration. According to divine providence in history, it is possible to witness this potential, without losing sight of the human cost of the migratory experience and its multiple consequences to the social, demographic, and economic structure of society.

2. Focusing on the centrality of the human person

When it comes to respecting the basic rights of the human person, including the rights of those involved in human mobility, the Church has proven its commitment in this regard on various levels. Specific initiatives, the Messages of the Holy Father, as well as the activities aimed at sensitizing the International Organizations and the governments of the countries of origin and transit of migrants, outline the strategy of the Church based on the centrality and sacredness of the person, especially in the case of defending the weak and the excluded.

Several important theological and pastoral principles support the work of the Church in this regard. These include: the centrality of the human person in the defence of the rights of migrants, both men and women, and their children; the ecclesial and missionary dimension of migration; the reappraisal of the apostolate of the laity; the value of cultures in the work of evangelisation; the protection and appreciation of minority groups in the Church; the importance of dialogue both inside and outside the Church; and the specific contribution of emigration to world peace ( EMCC n. 27). For this reason, the Church is committed to the welcoming and the pastoral care of all migrants, knowing that the migrant thirsts for some gesture that will make him feel welcome, recognised and acknowledged as a person ( EMCC n. 96). Therefore, it is worth repeating, even where migrants are concerned, what has been affirmed with strong conviction by John Paul II, that “indeed man's principal resource… is man himself” ( Centesimus Annus n. 32).

The phenomenon of migration carries within itself a variety of rights and duties, the first of which is the right to move. This right is interpreted in the same context with the right of every country to pursue an immigration policy that promotes the human good ( EMCC n. 29). Part of this right is the decision not to emigrate in order to contribute to the development of one's own native country , and also to be able to achieve one's rights and satisfy one's legitimate demands in his or her own country ( ibid. ) .

3. Specific pastoral care in the field of migrations

Safeguarding the human person requires more than merely ad hoc pastoral care. It entails, among other things, allowing the use of each one's maternal tongue in the catechesis, preaching, and administration of the Sacraments; open mindedness regarding particular demands stemming from popular religious customs; provision of missionaries specifically designated; and the creation of ethnic pastoral institutions to secure a constant process of active integration into the local Church, which should not be considered as “religious colonization”, or total absorption. The Instruction Erga migrantes caritas Christi contains specific directives articulated as follows: (1) the pastoral care of a particular ethnic or ritual group, aimed at promoting a genuinely Catholic spirit (cf. LG 13); (2) the need to safeguard universality and unity in a way that does not clash with the specific pastoral care that may entrust migrants to presbyters of the same language and of their own Church sui iuris , or to presbyters who are close to them from a linguistic and cultural point of view (cf. DPMC 11) (n. 38). Substantially, the Church's welcome to migrants contributes to making the true face of the Church visible (cf. GS 92) and it brings out the value of migration from the point of view of ecumenism, missionary work and dialogue. In fact, it bears witness to the fact that through migration that God's saving plan will be effected (cf. Acts 11, 19-21) (cf. DPMC 11)? ( EMCC n. 38).

From this perspective, and believing that the Gospel message must always be “incarnated” in a particular culture, it is clear that migrants cannot survive without their own culture; nor should they be forced to try to do so. Rather, it is only through their own culture that they may find the way to express themselves, communicate, and live fully. Therefore, not only should the culture of migrants be respected – because of its decisive role in the formation of consciences and in the expression of the originality and history of each people – but such cultures must also be rescued and valued, because it is by means of them that the Gospel message is experienced.

4. Towards welcoming and integration

The Instruction Erga migrantes caritas Christi places at specific levels adequate proposals which reflect the actual living conditions of the migrants. In welcoming migrants, for example, “it is of course useful and correct to distinguish between assistance in a general sense ( a short-term welcome); true welcome in the full sense (longer-term projects); and integration (an aim to be pursued constantly over a long period and in the true sense of the word)” (n. 42). This framework is helpful in dealing with the difficult concept of the integration of migrants into the receiving society, suspending the immediate concerns over full absorption, and allowing instead for the positive dynamics of encounter and dialogue. The Instruction insists upon the creation of inter-cultural societies that through interaction mutually enrich each other, rather than talking of multiculturalism, which could merely describe different cultures existing side by side.

In this gradual process, therefore, assistance , or “first welcome,” is of the greatest importance (imagine, for example, the migrants' hospitality centres, especially in transit countries, particularly those dedicated to emergency assistance in the form of canteens, dormitories, clinics, economic aid, reception centres) ( EMCC n. 43). Such examples, while fulfilling the call to human compassion, do not necessarily express the authentic call to Christian agape —an aspect of the pastoral care of migrants that cannot be overlooked or taken for granted.

The Instruction, consequently, envisions a wider horizon, suggesting that acts of welcome in their full sense should aim at the progressive integration and self-sufficiency of the immigrant. ( EMCC n. 43). In particular, the Instruction identifies some important elements in this regard, such as: (1) the commitment for family unification; (2) the education of children; (3) adequate housing; (4) employment; (5) the freedom of association and religion; (6) the promotion of civil rights; and (7) the promotion of migrants' participation in the host society ( ibid. ).

5. The causes of migration

It is necessary to stress the fact that specific pastoral care could never completely reach its goals if we fail to act also “on the roots” of the migratory phenomenon. It is principally in the cases when human mobility is forced that the Church is urged to intervene in the causes of the evils that generate it. The Instruction Erga migrantes caritas Christi recognizes that cultural, technical, and scientific motives are closely linked to the economic reasons for migration. Moreover, the Instruction identifies exaggerated nationalism, tainted with hatred and systematic or violent exclusion of minority groups, or of believers of minority religions, as well as conflicts of civil, political, ethnic and even religious nature, among the root causes of migration. Thus migration may also be a clear indication of a social, economic and demographic imbalance on a regional or world-wide level ( EMCC n. 1).

In this respect, the phenomenon of migration points to the deep need for solidarity, cooperation, international interdependence, and the just distribution of the goods of the earth. These fundamental principles must inspire efforts to stem migratory fluxes and to eliminate the imbalances that force people individually or collectively to abandon their own natural and cultural environment (cf. EMCC n. 4; 8-9; 39-43). The Church has never wavered in calling all people, and in particular the Christian community, to adopt attitudes of authentic availability and openness to the other, including migrants; affirming that notwithstanding the repeated failures of human projects, noble as they may have been, Christians, roused by the phenomenon of mobility, become aware of their call to be always and repeatedly a sign of fraternity and communion in the world, by respecting differences and practising solidarity in their ethics of meeting others ( EMCC n. 102).

6. Sensitizing the receiving societies

Just as the Church is directly committed to stand side by side with the migrants and the exiles , she also makes strong efforts to sensitize individuals and institutions, especially in the countries where migrants are received, so that migratory policies may be enacted in a spirit of true solidarity and courageous openness (cf. EMCC nn. 29-30). It is important to rediscover and to practice, especially through the works of catechesis and formation at different levels, initiatives aimed at producing a global vision, moving from awareness to acceptance of the other with his or her specific cultural traits; to universalism, to brotherhood, and ultimately, to communion (cf. EMCC n. 99).

The adoption of such “open” migratory policies not limited to solving contingent problems, but reflecting a global view, are in clear contrast with the attitude existing in some countries, many of which are in the more “developed” areas of the world, that also adopt policies which reflect a mindset of progressive exclusion. Ironically, more often the poorer nations are the ones demonstrating greater openness in welcoming the refugees. This contrast can be placed within the framework of the recent appeal of Benedict XVI to Governments for the “ratification of the international legal instruments that aim to defend the rights of migrants, refugees and their families.” First among these instruments is the International Convention for the protection of the rights of all migrant workers and members of their families, which entered into force on July 1 st , 2003, and intends to defend men and women migrant workers and the members of their respective families. In that same spirit, I myself had the opportunity of reiterating that raising walls does not solve, but rather exacerbates the problems.

Finally, the welcoming of and caring for migrants requires the specific and consistent participation of all the structures of the Catholic community (parishes, hospitals, social services, and educational institutions). This vision should be included in the curriculum of formation in Seminaries and Religious Institutes, within which should also be integrated an adequate consideration of migration and indeed the entire body of Social Teachings of the Church, as outlined in the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church , published by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace in 2004.

7. Developments and perspectives

The Instruction Erga migrantes caritas Christi affirms that “international migration must therefore be considered an important structural component of the social, economic and political reality of the world today. The large number of people involved in this phenomenon calls for more effective collaboration between countries of origin and of destination, in addition to adequate norms aimed at harmonising the various legislative provisions. The aim of such collaboration is to safeguard the needs and rights of the emigrants and their families and, likewise, those of the societies receiving them” (n. 8). Migration is a constantly evolving process that will continue to play an essential role in the development of societies. As I have mentioned, the global dimension of this phenomenon, with its political, economic, and social repercussions, is becoming more and more evident. As the Instruction affirms, migration has become a significant component of the growing interdependence among nation states that characterizes globalisation--which has flung markets wide open, but not frontiers; which has demolished boundaries for the free circulation of information and capital, but yet retains boundaries among peoples and cultures (n. 4). To produce positive outcomes, globalization must be rooted in a vision of the human person which reflects Christian ideals, rather than those of secular and materialistic ideologies.

Unfortunately in too many cases it appears that only the arrival of masses of desperate people in need of everything and ready to risk their lives can convince people at the door of rich countries that the plight of migrants is legitimate, even when migrants arrive at these doors illegally. Recognizing the legitimate plight of migrants is the first step toward improving conditions in the countries of origin, and it is essential to the development of programs and institutions that will assist migrants in their survival and development as persons. Such development will also entail the recognition and promotion of cultural minorities, especially in post-modern societies where ethnic and religious identities increasingly tend to cross their customary borders. A consequence of such recognition and promotion is the formation of an inter-cultural world that embraces legitimate diversity, and sees migration not as a factor of destabilization, but rather as an agent of unification and enrichment. Above all, it is essential to be people of hope. A better future for migrants is not just a dream; with a renewed awareness of the dignity of each and every person created in the image and likeness of God, it can become a reality.

Conclusion

Finally, the Church's specific pastoral attention to human mobility, with particular reference to the welcoming of and care for our brothers and sisters on the move, becomes a further confirmation of her Catholicity and missionary call. We could also say that migrants carry within themselves an ecumenical message. Precisely because people do migrate indicates that there is an enlarged concept of homeland, and that there exists a certain cultural confrontation between different societies and experiences. This is a reality within the human family, and it has contributed in the past, and still does today, to a more relaxed attitude and increased communication between different Christian denominations.

Migration has the possibility of favouring a dialogue between different cultures, and can contribute to world peace. Inter-cultural and inter-religious exchanges serve the cause of peace because they enable communication between peoples at very basic levels. In fact, the search for and the discovery of the shared values among various ethnic groups and religious traditions, give rise to a spirit of harmony, peaceful living, and reconciliation. This is consoling in the face of a world afflicted by the endless news of devastating conflicts and death, which is often magnified by the special attention given by the media.

The Church, in her vocation as servant of humanity, brings not only the message but also the realization of universal peace even by means of the migratory waves of millions of people. Migrants can be the hidden providential builders of such a universal fraternity ( EMCC n. 103) and can serve as an inspiration to the establishment of peaceful relationships between human beings, who are all members of the one family of God.

Pius XII expressed his prophetical intuition in the Apostolic Constitution Exsul Familia ( AAS XLIV [1952] 649-704), which is considered the magna charta of the Church's thought about migrations. Paul VI, then, in continuity and as a follow up to Vatican II, issued the Motu proprio Pastoralis migratorum cura ( AAS LXI [1969] 601-603), promulgating the Instruction of the Congregation of Bishops De pastorali migratorum cura ( AAS LXI [1969] 614-643) In 1978 the Pontifical Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrations and Tourism intervened with the Circular letter to the Episcopal Conferences Chiesa e mobilita umana ( AAS LXX [1978] 357-378). And finally, the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, in 2004, published the Instruction Erga migrantes caritas Christi ( AAS XCVI [2004] 762-822).

Cf. Ecumenical Council Vatican II, Decree on the pastoral office of Bishops in the Church Christus Dominus, 18: AAS LVIII (1966) 682.

?Every human being has the right to freedom of movement and of residence within the confines of his own State. When there are just reasons in favour of it, he must be permitted to emigrate to other countries and take up residence there?: John XXIII Encyclical Pacem in Terris , 25: AAS LV (1963) 263. See also EF 79; GS 65,69 ; DPMC 7 ; EMCC 21 .

See GS 65 ; DPMC 8; EMCC 29 .

See also Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People , Discorso del Santo Padre , 2: Atti del IV Congresso Mondiale sulla Pastorale dei Migranti e dei Rifugiati (5-10 ottobre 1998), Citta del Vaticano 1999, p. 9.

To the theme ?“inculturation” and religious and cultural pluralism? EMCC dedicates adequate space at the beginning of the second part, nn. 34-36, defining also a dynamic itinerary for an authentic process of inculturation with these elements: ?“Inculturation” begins by listening, which means getting to know those to whom we proclaim the gospel. Listening and knowing lead to a more adequate discernment of the values and “counter values” of their cultures in the light of the Paschal Mystery of death and life. Tolerance is not enough; needed is a certain feeling for the other, respect as far as possible for the cultural identity of one's dialogue partners. To recognise and appreciate their positive aspects, which prepare them to accept the gospel, is a necessary prelude to its successful proclamation. This is the only way to create dialogue, understanding and trust. Keeping our eyes on the gospel thus means attention to people too, to their dignity and freedom. Helping them advance integrally requires a commitment to fraternity, solidarity, service and justice? (n. 36).

The themes of this important chapter of the pastoral care for the human mobility have been investigated and published by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People (edited by) Migranti e pastorale d'accoglienza , (Quaderni Universitari II Parte), Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Citta del Vaticano 2006.

Benedict XVI, in his Message for the 93 rd World Day for the Migrant and the Refugee, paraphrasing EMCC n. 6, reminds that ?the Church offers through various Institutions and Associations that kind of advocacy that is becoming ever more necessary. For that reason have been opened Centres to listen to migrants, Homes to receive them, Offices for services to individuals and families and other initiatives have been started to respond to the growing needs existing in this field?: OR 264 (44.406 – 15.XI.2006), p. 5.

?In religious instruction and catechesis suitable means must be found to create in the Christian conscience a sense of welcome, especially for the poorest and outcasts as migrants often are. This welcome is fully based on love for Christ, in the certainty that good done out of love of God to one's neighbour, especially the most needy, is done to Him. This catechesis cannot avoid referring to the serious problems that precede and accompany migrations, such as the demographic question, work and conditions (illegal work) the care of the numerous elderly persons, criminality the exploitation of migrants and trafficking and smuggling of human beings?: EMCC n. 41.

Benedict XVI, Messaggio per la 93a Giornata Mondiale del Migrante e del Rifugiato : OR 264 (44.406 – 15.XI.2006) p. 5.

See Congregation for Catholic Education , The Pastoral Care of Human Mobility in the Formation of Future Priests , (Circular Letter to the Diocesan Ordinaries and to the Rectors of their Seminaries, 25 January 1986): Enchiridion Vaticanum 10 (1986-1987) 5-24; Congregation for Catholic Education and Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People , Joint Letter on the Pastoral Care of Migrants in the Formation of Future Priests and Permanent Deacons to t heir Excellencies the Diocesan Ordinaries and to the Rectors of Seminaries : AAS XCVIII (2006) 70-71. For what refers to the Social Teachings of the Church, the Compendium of the Social Teachings of the Church is a most valuable instrument (Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Citta del Vaticano 2004), edited by the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace , of which I am also the President.

For that purpose, it is essential the reference to the par. 27-29 of the Encyclical Deus caritas est of Benedict XVI ( AAS XCVIII [2006] 217-252: 237-241). The Holy Father stresses that the Church is very seriously concerned about man and the world (n. 27), because she is particularly interested ?in the opening of the intelligence and the will to the demands of goodness? and consequently ?she cannot stay in the sidelines of the fighting for justice? (n. 28a). In the end, the expression of Christian love, the caritas will always be necessary for society, because ?if one wishes to do away with love must be ready to do away with man as man? (n. 28b). On the contrary, the dynamics of love originated by the Spirit of Christ, in any of its expressions never humiliates man, but it heals, supports, and strengthens ?precisely what is specifically human? (28b).

See EMCC nn. 56-58.

See EMCC n. 69.

Paul VI , Homily for the IX Session of the Ecumenical Council Vatican II : AAS 58 (1966) 57.