Churches in the US pledge solidarity with migrants
-09/01/06
As public debate continue
Churches in the US pledge solidarity with migrants
-09/01/06
As public debate continues in the US over migration policy, representatives of the United Methodist Church have called for a humane approach ñ and the US Catholic Bishops Conference has launched its National Migration Week initiative, which begins today.
Journey to Justice is the theme for the Week, which marks the 25th anniversary of its annual observance. The focus is on asylum seekers, all displaced people and those on the move.
In announcing the theme, Bishop Gerald Barnes of San Bernardino, chair of the Bishops’ Committee on Migration, said that all people of goodwill are called to make a journey ìin solidarity with migrants, immigrants, refugees, human trafficking victims, and other people on the move seeking justice and peace.î
He continued: ìNever has this call to solidarity been needed more than today. Too often those who have come to our land seeking a better life for themselves and their families face discrimination and exploitation.î
To counteract this, Bishop Barnes recalled, a broad coalition of Catholic organizations together with the US Bishops committed themselves to changing minds and hearts through the national Justice for Immigrants: Together on the Journey of Hope campaign.
The goals of the campaign are to educate people about the benefits of migration to the nation, to strengthen public opinion about the positive contributions of immigrants, to advocate for just immigration laws which promote legal status and legal pathways for migrant workers and their families, and to organise Catholic legal service networks to assist immigrants.
ìNational Migration Week provides parishes and schools with an excellent opportunity to give expression to the ideals of the campaign in their local communities,î Bishop Barnes continued.
He concluded: ìWhen we make this journey we embrace the newcomers to our land as we reach out in a spirit of peace and hope. Together with them we are truly the Body of Christ.î
The United Methodist Church in the USA has also called for a more just immigration policy and a better informed public conversation about migration.
In Britain the migration debate has also involved the churches in strong advocacy on behalf of asylum seekers and refugees.
Those seeking justice for migrants in the UK face a hostile tabloid press, anti-immigration groups like Migration Watch, and the willingness of mainstream politicians to pander to public fears and misinformation.
Recently new Tory leader David Cameron has said that he will move his party away from their hostile stance, but campaigners are waiting to see the evidence in practice.
[Also on Ekklesia: Are immigration controls moral?; Christian MP attacks anti-migrant rhetoric; Stop using asylum seekers as political footballs, say churches; Photo row highlights discrepancy between churches and politicians on migration; World churches criticise UK policies on asylum and immigration; Howardís ‘false’ anti-immigrant claims defy UN and churches; Link with world on your doorstep, churches urged; Scots may take in migrants rejected by England]
Churches in the US pledge solidarity with migrants
-09/01/06
As public debate continues in the US over migration policy, representatives of the United Methodist Church have called for a humane approach – and the US Catholic Bishops Conference has launched its National Migration Week initiative, which begins today.
Journey to Justice is the theme for the Week, which marks the 25th anniversary of its annual observance. The focus is on asylum seekers, all displaced people and those on the move.
In announcing the theme, Bishop Gerald Barnes of San Bernardino, chair of the Bishops’ Committee on Migration, said that all people of goodwill are called to make a journey ‘in solidarity with migrants, immigrants, refugees, human trafficking victims, and other people on the move seeking justice and peace.’
He continued: ‘Never has this call to solidarity been needed more than today. Too often those who have come to our land seeking a better life for themselves and their families face discrimination and exploitation.’
To counteract this, Bishop Barnes recalled, a broad coalition of Catholic organizations together with the US Bishops committed themselves to changing minds and hearts through the national Justice for Immigrants: Together on the Journey of Hope campaign.
The goals of the campaign are to educate people about the benefits of migration to the nation, to strengthen public opinion about the positive contributions of immigrants, to advocate for just immigration laws which promote legal status and legal pathways for migrant workers and their families, and to organise Catholic legal service networks to assist immigrants.
‘National Migration Week provides parishes and schools with an excellent opportunity to give expression to the ideals of the campaign in their local communities,’ Bishop Barnes continued.
He concluded: ‘When we make this journey we embrace the newcomers to our land as we reach out in a spirit of peace and hope. Together with them we are truly the Body of Christ.’
The United Methodist Church in the USA has also called for a more just immigration policy and a better informed public conversation about migration.
In Britain the migration debate has also involved the churches in strong advocacy on behalf of asylum seekers and refugees.
Those seeking justice for migrants in the UK face a hostile tabloid press, anti-immigration groups like Migration Watch, and the willingness of mainstream politicians to pander to public fears and misinformation.
Recently new Tory leader David Cameron has said that he will move his party away from their hostile stance, but campaigners are waiting to see the evidence in practice.
[Also on Ekklesia: Are immigration controls moral?; Christian MP attacks anti-migrant rhetoric; Stop using asylum seekers as political footballs, say churches; Photo row highlights discrepancy between churches and politicians on migration; World churches criticise UK policies on asylum and immigration; Howard’s ‘false’ anti-immigrant claims defy UN and churches; Link with world on your doorstep, churches urged; Scots may take in migrants rejected by England]