These good practices of the Catholic Church promote the reception of migrants in South America

Legal assistance, training and job placement, spaces for dialogue and reception, are some of the areas where the Catholic Church sets its sights in its search to welcome migrants and refugees, to put into practice the “culture of encounter” on which Pope Francis insists so much.

This is reflected in the latest report presented by the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina (UCA), and developed by a group of researchers from the Department of Political Sciences and International Relations, which is titled Free to choose whether to migrate or stay. Good practices 2022.

The research work was requested by the Dicastery for the Service of Integral Human Development of the Vatican, and compiles 40 good practices offered to refugees, asylum seekers, migrants and victims of trafficking, by Catholic institutions and organizations in South America.

To this end, a survey of activities, initiatives or pastoral services provided in the region during 2022 was carried out, through interviews with representatives of local Churches, congregations, orders and Catholic organizations.

The 40 good practices compiled in the study were selected from more than 120 pastoral accompaniment and assistance actions, and contribute to the construction of inclusive societies, promote interculturality and access to decent and well-paid work, and are mainly linked to access to health, housing and adequate nutrition.

In addition to the actions carried out by each country in South America, the collaborative initiatives of the Catholic Church in different countries were taken into account, seeking to unify responses to the different challenges that these realities present.

Among the selected initiatives, in Argentina the “Stories that leave traces” program stands out, developed by the Congregation of Slaves of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, in which they worked with secondary students from art and awareness, and which combined practical experiences with theoretical meetings, offering a more complete perspective of the reality of migration, poverty and inequality.

The Jesuits in Argentina and Uruguay, for their part, blurred their borders with the initiative “Caravan for hospitality: hacking narratives”, which consisted of activities to promote a culture of welcome and encounter, through a continental journey.

In the area of ​​decent work and adequate remuneration, the Intercultural Business Network, for training Human Resources departments, in Santiago de Chile stands out.

This is an initiative with private companies, promoted by the Jesuit Migrant Service, with the aim of facilitating a space for meeting and collaboration between private sector companies, which promotes the creation of intercultural work environments, including migrants.

Also in Chile, the Migration and Refuge Day was held, which sought to offer a space for dialogue and exchange between pastoral agents, authorities at the national and local level, representatives of civil society, international organizations and the private sector, with the purpose of raising awareness and positioning the challenges and advances in immigration matters on the public agenda.

The UCA highlighted among the good practices the legal assistance to migrants offered annually in Bolivia by the Human Mobility Pastoral of the Archdiocese of Santa Cruz de la Sierra, which consists of providing the migrant population with guidance, advice and legal assistance regarding documentation. , in order to protect their rights and facilitate their integration into society.

In Uruguay, the Jesuit Migrant Service developed a training and job placement program for young migrants between 18 and 24 years old, regardless of gender or country of origin, with a basic secondary level.

The objective of the initiative was to facilitate access to job sources for young migrants or refugees, coming from critical contexts, without work experience and with middle-level educational backgrounds. Young people from Venezuela and Cuba participated.

These are just some of the practices adopted by South American countries. The document also includes information on initiatives carried out in Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Paraguay, Colombia, and Venezuela. The full UCA report can be consulted at this link.