After the welcome: the
challenges of integrating refugees
Meeting of bishops and
delegates from Europe’s
Bishops’ Conferences with responsibility
for the
pastoral care of migrants
Madrid, Spain, 26-27 September 2016
It is in the light of
the reflection begun in recent years along with various church bodies on the
Church’s response to the intense wave of migrations towards Europe, and seeking
to integrate that response into the Church’s reflection in the Year of Mercy,
that the work of the annual meeting of those responsible for the pastoral care
of migrants will begin in Madrid on Monday 26 September.
In the Spanish
capital, with the help of Comece, participants will receive updates on European
policies about integration and will focus on the various dimensions of
integration, especially the pastoral dimension, both from the perspective of
those arriving and those welcoming: from looking for work and accommodation, to
education of children and the personal and community experience of one’s own
religion, but also the relationship between immigrants already integrated and
new arrivals.
“In Madrid, the
participants will speak about integration in their own countries, sharing the
difficulties encountered and good practice”, said Mgr Duarte da Cunha,
CCEE Geneal Secretary. “In tackling the phenomenon of migration”, he continued,
“it is necessary not just to respond at the level of charity to the challenges
placed by those fleeing from war regions or from situations of complete
political and social instability, but also to the different stages of
integration: from humanitarian assistance to resettlement in a foreign land.
Increasingly, Europe is becoming a mutlicultural space where people from
different origins integrate. It is part of Europe’s DNA, shaped by its
Christian roots, to have an open cultural identity, neither indifferent nor
syncretist, but in dialogue, conscious that not only does it have a lot to
offer but also to receive”.
The first day of the
meeting will end with the celebration of Mass in the parish of “Our Lady of
Silence”, along with a diocesan delegation for the pastoral care of migrants,
with as main celebrant His Grace Mgr Carlos Osoro Sierra.
The meeting will end
on the morning of Tuesday 27 September with the celebration of Mass at the
headquarters of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, with its President, Cardinal
Ricardo Blázquez Pérez, as main celebrant. Prior to this there will be
discussion of both current and previously tackled issues, such as: human
trafficking (the work of the Santa Marta Group) and the presence of Chinese
immigrants in Europe. It will also be an opportunity for an exchange about
experiences and difficulties encountered in the social and pastoral accompaniment
of immigrants and in the pastoral care of those who decide to migrate.
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