The VII World Congress on the Pastoral Care of migration organized by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People on the theme “Cooperation and development in the pastoral care of immigrants” opened on Monday at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome. About three hundred participants came from 93 countries in 5 continents. Below, please find the full text of the presentation of the Congress, given by the Secretary of the Council, Bishop Joseph Kalathiparambil: As Secretary of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, it is my pleasure to present to you, at the beginning of this first full-day of proceedings, the goals and aspirations of these next few days of our meeting. We have gathered here together for this 7 th World Congress in continuity with the six Events that preceded it and, indeed, this is a World Congress as those present come from all ends of the Earth: from over 100 countries of all five Continents. The Congress is so designed that each day is dedicated to a different topic within the wider context of the theme of this Event: “ Cooperation and Development in the Pastoral Care of Migrations ”. Our plan of action is structured in such a way so as to culminate, through the different conferences and further debates that elaborate on the key note addresses, in the personal exchange and the expression of concrete ideas and thoughts in the Working Groups of the afternoon. My dear friends, we are here not only to share our experiences and ideas, but to work together to elaborate recommendations and ideas that will be of assistance to each one of us in our pastoral care for the next few years. I. Day One – The Diaspora In the context of the theme of the Congress, the first full day of proceedings is dedicated to the subject of the diaspora , in particular the labor migration of workers – a phenomenon characteristic to so many different nations around the globe. As a result of the modern-day globalization process, it is a trend among residents of one country to leave for better living prospects in a more developed country. Primarily migrating in search of better job opportunities and better life conditions, these migrants often leave behind their families and relatives in the hopes of sending back remittances to better their economic and social status, and one day finding a way to help them migrate abroad, as well. It is a great pleasure, therefore, that the Main Conference of the day, which will serve as the basis for today’s work, will be delivered by His Eminence Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle , Archbishop of Manila and Member of our Pontifical Council, who is also a citizen of a country that has one of the largest population outside of its borders, the Philippines. The Conference will be on the subject of “ Diaspora and Cooperation: Towards the Development of the World and of the Church ”. In reference to both society and the Church, today, it is necessary to recognize the need to strengthen synergies between international migration and development at the global, national, regional and local levels. In a general ecclesial perspective, migration must always be seen in the context of the universality of the Church: integration at the local Church level is always in view of the Universal Church, while at the same time respecting the particularities and necessities of the Local Church. Within the context of the diaspora arises a very important subject that is often affected by labor migration, that is, that of the family which will be the center of attention for the first Round Table of the Congress, entitled “ The Migrant Family in the Context of the Diaspora ”. In his Message for the World Day of the Migrant and Refugee for 2007, specifically dedicated to the migrant family, Pope Benedict XVI stated that “ An attentive pastoral presence is necessary. Aside from giving assistance capable of healing the wounds of the heart, pastoral care should also offer the support of the Christian community, able to restore the culture of respect and have the true value of love found again ”. The family is the source for the culture of life, and a factor for the integration of human and Christian values. This remains true of the family with respect to the phenomenon of migration, which has taken on structural dimensions in today’s society. The care of the migrant family requires not only cooperation between the country of origin and the respective country of destination, but also a strong cooperation between the Church of origin, and the Church which welcomes the migrant family. To discuss and share their insight on the matter for the Round Table, we will have the honor of guest speakers from three different cultural backgrounds: His Excellency Bishop John Charles Wester of Salt Lake City (USA), His Excellency Bishop Lucio Andrice Muandula of Xai-Xai (Mozambique), and His Excellency Bishop Mario Toso , Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Justice and Peace. II. Day Two – Migrants as Partners Continuing our reflections on cooperation and development in the pastoral care of migrations, the keyword for the second full-day of proceedings is partner . Migrants contribute and cooperate substantially to the well-being and to the development not only of their country of origin, but of their country of adoption, as well. The deliberations of the day will aim, in some way, to acknowledge and underline the important role that migrants play as partners in the development of origin, transit and destination countries and to recognize the need to improve public perceptions of migrants and migration, and to recognize the contributions of migrants towards development in both origin and destination countries. This same approach will apply to the role migrants play within the Church community where they currently find themselves at the moment. To deliver the Main Conference for the day, entitled “ Migrants as Partners in the Development of Countries of Origin, of Transit and of Destination ”, will be Dr. Johan Ketelers , Secretary General of the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC), who is also Consultor and longtime collaborator and friend of our Pontifical Council. The concept of “partner” naturally leads us into the consideration of the role of women migrants in the second Round Table of the Congress. According to the United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs (UNDESA), female migration has reached about 49% of the entire migration population. Women are capable of changing and transforming both the face of cooperation and development. In the past, their movements were strongly tied with family reunification. Today, women are protagonists and leading players along with their male counterparts in the role that they undertake in today’s society. In the Round Table discussion, entitled “ The Role of Women Migrants in Cooperation and Development ”, it will be our great pleasure to host three exceptional persons: Sr. Patricia Ebegbulem from Lagos (Nigeria), Coordinator of the African Network Against Human Trafficking; Dr. Martina Liebsch , Advocacy and Policy Director of Caritas Internationalis ; and Sr. Rosita Milesi from Brasília (Brazil), Director of the Migration and Human Rights Institute ( Instituto Migrações e Direitos Humanos ). Their interventions will assist us in paving the theological and pastoral foundation for the solicitude of the Church towards female migrants, and to understand better their situation and role in both society and the Church. III. Day Three – The Dignity of the Migrant In his first Message for the World Day of Migrants and Refugees for 2014, Pope Frances states: “ The face of each person bears the mark of the face of Christ! Here we find the deepest foundation of the dignity of the human person, which must always be respected and safeguarded. It is less the criteria of efficiency, productivity, social class, or ethnic or religious belonging which ground that personal dignity, so much as the fact of being created in God’s own image and likeness and, even more so, being children of God. Every human being is a child of God! He or she bears the image of Christ! ” For this reason, the third full-day of proceedings of the Congress has been dedicated to the subject of migrant dignity . Human dignity plays an important role in the managing of migrant flows and in the approach that both civil and ecclesial communities take in reference to the presence of migrants among them. It is a concept that derives from the recognition that all human persons were created in the image and likeness of God. Religious, ethnic, social or cultural variables, citizenship or lack of it, do not change this fact that gives any individual an inherent and immeasurable worth and dignity to the point that each human life is considered sacred. In leading us, therefore, in our reflections with the Main Conference, “ The Dignity of the Migrant – a Child of God, Created in His Image and Likeness, Who Bears the Image of Christ the Migrant ”, will be His Excellency Archbishop Silvano M. Tomasi , Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations and longtime collaborator of this Pontifical Council. The third Round Table will further the discussion begun in the Main Conference, turning its attention to the subject of young migrants and their role in society and in the Church. Our deliberations will seek, in some way, to recognize the particular vulnerabilities, circumstances and needs of adolescents and young migrants, while at the same time expounding and noting the great potential that these young persons have in building social, economic, cultural and religious bridges of cooperation and understanding across societies and Church communities. Our three guest speakers, who will elaborate and debate on the subject of “ Young Migrants: Potential in Building Bridges of Cooperation Between Societies Towards Development ”, are: His Excellency Archbishop José Domingo Ulloa Mendieta , Archbishop of Panama City (Panama) and President of S.E.D.A.C.; His Excellency Bishop Barthélemey Adoukonou , Secretary of the Pontifical Council for Culture; and Reverend Father Maurizio Pettenà , National Director of the Australian Catholic Migrant & Refugee Office in Canberra (Australia) and Consultor of this Pontifical Council. Coming from three very different backgrounds, it is our hope that the discussion will give insight to our pastoral care of young migrants. IV. Workshops and Presentations Dear participants! This Congress is not just an Event in which we all remain still and passive. This is our Congress! In order to offer you the opportunity to reflect on the Conferences and Round Tables, the program has provided three afternoon workshop sessions. They are planned to give you the chance to make your own personal contributions based on your personal knowledge and experiences, to further expound on what has been presented in the previous lectures and dialogues. It is highly recommended that each of you actively participate in the Workshops, as your reflections and the considerations you will express will hopefully lead to the formulation, at the conclusion of this Meeting, of a Final document that will be an instrument that will serve all of us in our pastoral care and approach for the next five years. One final note regarding the Congress: every day we will have the opportunity to listen and watch short presentations prepared by eleven Bishops’ Conferences. They will be a chance to experience, at least in some small form, the richness and variety that the Catholic Church offers in its pastoral care of migrants. To all those who put in their time and effort to prepare this portion of the program, my profound and sincere thanks. As this Seventh World Congress for the Pastoral Care of Migrants opens, I wish to conclude by quoting a passage from the Encyclical letter Spe salvi of His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI: “ Every generation has the task of engaging anew in the arduous search for the right way to order human affairs; this task is never simply completed ”. And continuing, the Holy Father stated: “ Yet every generation must also make its own contribution to establishing convincing structures of freedom and of good, which can help the following generation as a guideline for the proper use of human freedom ” (n. 25). This task begins here, today. May this encounter together bring bountiful fruit in the assistance of our brothers and sisters migrants, who are “on the move” in search of a better future and the hope of encountering kindness and help, which are a reflection of the Father’s love for each one of us. (from Vatican Radio)…
(Vatican Radio) In the last weeks of the liturgical year the Church calls us to think very, very seriously about our Christian life. In Scripture, Jesus warns us against being corrupt, comfortable Christians of appearance and he calls us to conversion. Listen to our report Conversion is a grace, “it is a visit from God”…
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The VII World Congress on the Pastoral Care of migration organized by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People on the theme “Cooperation and development in the pastoral care of immigrants” opened on Monday at the Pontifical Urban University in Rome. About three hundred participants came from 93 countries in…
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(Vatican Radio) In the last weeks of the liturgical year the Church calls us to think very, very seriously about our Christian life. In Scripture, Jesus warns us against being corrupt, comfortable Christians of appearance and he calls us to conversion.
Listen to our report
Conversion is a grace, “it is a visit from God” said Pope Francis at Tuesday morning Mass in Casa Santa Marta. The Pope based his reflections on the Readings of the Day taken from Revelation Chapter 3 and the Gospel according to St. Luke on the encounter Jesus and Zacchaeus the tax collector.
In the first reading, he noted, the Lord asks Christians in Laodicea to convert because they have become “lukewarm”. They live a “comfortable spirituality”. They think: “I do what I can, but I am at peace and do not want to be disturbed with strange things”. Pope Francis noted that people who “live well think nothing is missing: I go to Mass on Sundays, I pray a few times, I feel good, I am in God’s grace, I’m rich” and “I do not need anything, I’m fine.” This “state of mind – he warned – is a state of sin, feeling spiritually comfortable is a state of sin”. The Lord has harsh words for people like this, he says: “Because you are lukewarm, I will spit you out of my mouth”. Despite this, the Lord gives them some advice, he tells them to “dress themselves” because ” comfortable Christians are naked”.
Then, he added, “there is a second call” to “those who live by appearances, Christians of appearances.” These believe they are alive but they are dead. And the Lord asks them to be vigilant. “Appearances – the Pope said – are these Christians shroud: they are dead.” And the Lord “calls them to conversion”.
“Am I one of these Christians of appearances? Am I alive inside, do I have a spiritual life? Do I hear the Holy Spirit, do I listen to the Holy Spirit, do I move forward, or …? But, if everything looks good, I have nothing to reproach myself about: I have a good family, people do not gossip about me, I have everything I need, I married in church …I am ‘in the grace of God’, I am alright. Appearances! Christians of appearance … they are dead! Instead [we must] seek something alive within ourselves, and with memory and vigilance, reinvigorate this so we can move forward. Convert: from appearances to reality. From being neither hot nor cold to fervor “.
The third call to conversion is with Zacchaeus, “the chief tax collector, and rich.” “He is corrupt – the Pope said – he was working for foreigners, for the Romans, he betrayed his homeland”:
“He was just like many leaders we know: corrupt. Those who, instead of serving the people, exploit the people to serve themselves. There are some like this, in the world. And people did not want him. Yes, he wasn’t lukewarm; He was not dead. He was in a state of putrefaction. He was corrupt. But he felt something inside: this healer, this prophet who people say speaks so well, I would like to see him, out of curiosity. The Holy Spirit is clever, eh! He sowed the seed of curiosity, and so in order to seem him this man even does something a little ‘ridiculous. Think of an important leader, who is also corrupt, a leader of leaders – he was the chief – climb a tree to watch a procession: Just think of it. How ridiculous!”.
Zacchaeus, he said, “had no shame.” He wanted to see him and ” the Holy Spirit was working in him”. Then “the Word of God came into the heart and with the Word, the joy.” “Those of comfort and those of appearance – he said – had forgotten what joy was; this corrupt man immediately gets it”, “his heart changes, he converts”. So Zacchaeus promises to give back four times what he has stolen:
” When conversion touches pockets, it’s a certainty. Christians in heart? Yes, everyone is. Christians by blood? All of us. However, Christians with pockets, very few. But, conversion … and here, it arrived straight away: the authentic word. He converted. But faced with this word, the words of the others, those who did not want conversion, who did not want to convert: ‘Seeing this, they grumbled: ‘He has gone to the house of a sinner!’: He has dirtied himself, he has lost his purity. He must purify himself because he entered the house of a sinner “.
Pope Francis reiterated that these are “the three calls to conversion” that Jesus himself makes to “the lukewarm, the comfortable, to those of appearance, to those who think they are rich but are poor, who have nothing, who are dead”. The Word of God, “is able to change everything”, but “we don’t always have the courage to believe in the Word of God, to receive that Word that heals us within”. In the last weeks of the Liturgical Year, the Church wants us all to “think very, very seriously about our conversion, so that we can move forward on the path of our Christian life”. It tells us to “remember the Word of God, appeals to our memory, to custody it, to be vigilant, and also to obey the Word of God, so that we can begin a new life, converted”.
(from Vatican Radio)…
It is
indeed a particular privilege and honor to be invited to address you on the
auspicious occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Pro Oriente Foundation. This
event marks a special and significant milestone in the history of relations
between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Churches. In many
ways it is a mirror of the relations between our Churches inasmuch as it
reflects and parallels the extraordinary steps of rapprochement and
reconciliation that began half a century ago and have led to the theological
dialogue and sincere exchanges between us on the parish and local, regional and
national, as well as international levels. As you are all aware, in a few days,
our beloved brother in Christ, Pope Francis, will visit Istanbul, which has
served as the sacred center and see of the Ecumenical Patriarchate for over
seventeen centuries. We very much look forward to welcoming His Holiness to the
Phanar on November 29th and 30th for the commemoration of St. Andrew the
first-called of the Apostles and Thronal Feast of the Church of Constantinople.
This official visit follows in the wake of our joint pilgrimage to Jerusalem
only a few months ago to celebrate another 50th anniversary, namely the journey
to the Holy Land by the late Pope – now officially proclaimed Saint in the
Roman Catholic Church – Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras. We were
deeply touched that Pope Francis accepted our invitation for a common
observance of that occasion, which we proposed to him during our own attendance
at his enthronement and solemn Inaugural Mass in March 2013. Dear listeners, these instances are
not purely coincidental; nor again are they merely historical. We would dare to
say that they are in fact nothing less than providential. Fifty years ago, such
events would not have been conceivable or even achievable. It is surely the
grace of God that inspired our venerable and visionary predecessors to assume
these bold initiatives. In some ways, after so many years of estrangement and
silence, only the Spirit of God could possibly bring about the conditions and
circumstances for greater partnership and closer relations between our
Churches, which were previously alienated for an entire millennium. It is precisely within such an
atmosphere of ecumenical openness and sincere desire for dialogue that the Pro
Oriente Foundation was envisaged and established in 1964 by the Viennese
bishop, the late Franz Cardinal König, who discerned the spirit of the times
and perceived the importance of adhering to the commandment and prayer of our
Lord, “that [His disciples] may be one.” (John 17.21) The sacred
purpose and fundamental goal of the Foundation – with its various charters in
Vienna, Graz, Salzburg and Linz – was to improve relations between the Roman
Catholic and Eastern Orthodox as well as Oriental Orthodox Churches, echoing
the papal decree “Unitatis Redintegratio” issued on November 21st,
1964, half a century ago. Its founding president was the renowned and respected
Alfred Stirnemann, who led the Foundation until his death in 1988. We remember
both of these leaders, together with our cherished departed friends, the late
Metropolitans Chrysosotomos and his successor Michael of Austria, Patriarchal
Exarchs of Hungary and Mid-Europe. These two Orthodox hierarchs were
unconditionally convinced of the essential role of positive relations with the
Roman Catholic Church, working tirelessly toward advancing dialogue and
enhancing cooperation. May their memory be eternal and may their example be a
model for us all! Let us, however, recall some of the
groundbreaking steps taken just over fifty years ago, which in turn led to the
fertile conditions for the creation of a foundation such as Pro Oriente. In the
opening days of 1964, Pope Paul VI and Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras broke a
silence of many centuries with just a few simple words and a loving embrace. On
January 5, 1964, when Pope Paul VI met with Ecumenical Patriarch Athenagoras on
the Mount of Olives, it was the first time the Western pontiff and the Eastern
primate – the Pope of Rome and the Archbishop of New Rome – were meeting
face-to-face since the Council of Florence in 1438. And the venue for the
encounter in 1964 was the very site where Christ addressed His Father on the
night of His betrayal for the unity of His followers. Prior to this meeting, for many
centuries the Eastern and Western Churches had no formal contact and little
unofficial communication. After what is today known as the “great
schism” of 1054, there were two brief encounters of exchange and dialogues
of reunification at the Council of Lyon in 1274 and at the Council of
Ferrara-Florence in 1438-39; yet both occasions left feelings of bitterness
rather than hopefulness. The estrangement was further accentuated and sealed
after the tragic events of the Crusades, especially the Fourth Crusade with the
sack of Constantinople in 1202-04 with the unjustifiable slaughter of
Christians by Christians. Thus began the historical
“dialogue of love” – a term coined by the late Metropolitan Meliton
of Chalcedon – which in turn initiated a process of gradually breaking down
barriers created over centuries. It was followed one year later – in a joint
declaration read simultaneously at St. Peter’s in Rome and in the Patriarchal
Church of St. George in Istanbul – by the unprecedented “mutual lifting of
the anathemas” on December 7, 1965, when the same two prelates
“removed from both the memory and the midst of the Church the sentences of
excommunication” dating back to 1054, agreeing that “the past be
confided to the mercy of God.” The year 1969 saw the beginning of a
paramount and hitherto uninterrupted tradition, namely the exchange of formal
annual delegations at the respective Patron Feasts of our two “sister
churches” – in Rome on June 29 for the feast of Saints Peter and Paul; and
in Istanbul on November 30, which Pope Francis will honor at the end of this
month. These momentous initiatives later culminated in the creation – during
the papal visit to the Phanar on November 30, 1979 – of the Joint International
Commission for Theological Dialogue between the Roman Catholic Church and the
Orthodox Church. Thus, the Holy See and fourteen autocephalous Orthodox
Churches commenced an official theological “dialogue of truth” on May
29, 1980 – during the tenure of our revered predecessor, the late Ecumenical
Patriarch Dimitrios and the successor to Pope Paul VI, the late Pope John Paul
II – in order to expand the “dialogue of love” and examine jointly
the doctrinal differences between the two sister Churches. Thankfully today, through the
important and influential contribution of such foundations and institutes as
Pro Oriente, this spirit of fraternal love and mutual respect has replaced the
old theological polemic and reciprocal suspicion. Of course, we are realistic
enough to recognize that much remains to be achieved, and the path sometimes
seems long and laborious. There are the thorny theological issues of primacy
and collegiality, which are currently on the table for deliberation; and there
is the delicate problem of Uniatism, which has already once suspended the
dialogue. However, we must confess that there is no alternative path to
dialogue and reconciliation. This is especially valid and true
for our age, when we encounter the global use and abuse of religion for
political and other secular purposes; the difficulties facing Christians all
over the world – particularly in the Holy Land and the Middle East, regardless
of confessional identities; the injustices inflicted on the weak and vulnerable
members of contemporary societies; as well as the alarming ecological crisis
which threatens the integrity and very survival of God’s creation. All of these
challenges call for a common and collaborative solution to the problems that
still divide us. They demand our mutual cooperation and shared concern. Indeed, we might also include here
another aspect of Pro Oriente, which is implied in its very identity, namely
the responsibility and advocacy of Christian minorities persecuted in the
Middle East and Northern Africa, in the very places where Christianity emerged
and flourished from the earliest years of our Church. After all, the term
“orient” is not only an ecclesiastical designation; it is also a
geographical specification. This dimension is surely part and parcel of the
mission and ministry of Pro Oriente, and we would gladly welcome its support in
this vital area. And we are all well aware of the critical situation and
unjustifiable suffering endured by our brothers and sisters in the Middle East and
Northern Africa. As we declared jointly in Jerusalem
with His Holiness Pope Francis: “We express our shared profound concern
for the situation of Christians in the Middle East and for their right to
remain full citizens of their homelands. In trust we turn to the almighty and
merciful God in a prayer for peace in the Holy Land and in the Middle East in
general. We especially pray for the Churches in Egypt, Syria, and Iraq, which
have suffered most grievously due to recent events. We encourage all parties
regardless of their religious convictions to continue to work for
reconciliation and for the just recognition of peoples’ rights. We are
persuaded that it is not arms, but dialogue, pardon and reconciliation that are
the only possible means to achieve peace.” Permit us paternally to urge
you to focus more of your attention toward this crisis. Eminent and beloved friends, The ecumenical work of Pro Oriente
has proved invaluable and instrumental for the promotion of closer and stronger
relations between our Churches. Its work has undoubtedly been both remarkable
and admirable. Yet, as we all know, in our world, the work of unity remains
constant and unceasing until the fullness of the heavenly kingdom. It is,
therefore, our humble vocation and moral obligation to continue and reinforce
our efforts toward reconciliation. Let us not simply preserve the memory of the
pioneers of this blessed Foundation; let us carry on their example and increase
their endeavors. For this would be the best commemoration and celebration of
their legacy and longing for Christian unity. May God bless you all – those
directly involved in as well as those who fervently pray for and support the
work of the Pro Oriente Foundation. Bartolomeo…