Migrants Are a Hidden Treasure, Bishops Affirm

(November 29, 2008) Not only are migrants children of God and heirs to his Kingdom, they are also a wealth of culture, intelligence and creativity, bishops from Europe and Africa are affirming. This was one of the concluding affirmations from a conference sponsored by the Council of European Episcopal Conferences and the Symposium of Episcopal Conferences of Africa and Madagascar. The Nov. 19-23 event focused on "The Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees and Foreign Students." “We would like to affirm that the stranger is not to be seen as a threat or a problem, but rather to be seen, through the lens of the Holy Scriptures and the teachings of the Church, as the migrant or refugee who should be welcomed first and foremost as a child of God. [...] Secondly, the migrant is also saved by the blood of the saviour Jesus Christ, and therefore is heir to the Kingdom of God," the bishops stated. But migrants' value are not just spiritual, they continued: "We also are convinced that the migrant is indeed an occasion of grace from God and he [or] she brings with him [or] herself a new wealth of culture, spirituality, intellect and intelligence, creativity and still more of humanity." Based on this assumption, the European and African bishops called on Episcopal conferences of their two continents "to put in place, where they are absent, appropriate institutions for the study of migrants, and especially for welcoming them and providing pastoral care for them."In this regard, the congress conclusions called for regional bishops' conferences, and skilled pastoral agents to minister to migrants, "with special attention to women, children and students who are most easily exploited by unscrupulous persons and cartels, which render them victims of immoral practices, drug pushers and crime rings." “The Church in Africa is also most grateful for the many gifts she receives through fraternal sharing and exchanges that arise from the presence of our African brothers and sisters who are migrants in Europe today and are receiving great pastoral care and concern."