Bishops from the border come together to provide a pastoral response to the drama of migrants in South America

The city of Tacna (Peru) hosted the IX Meeting of Bishops of the Triple Border, which took place from June 18 to 21 and brought together pastoral agents from the host country, as well as from Bolivia and Chile.

The meeting was attended by Mons. Lizardo Estrada Herrera, Secretary General of the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM) and Auxiliary Bishop of Cusco (Peru); Mons. Marco Antonio Cortez Lara, Bishop of Tacna and Moquegua; Mons. Jaime Villarroel, President of the Episcopal Commission on Human Mobility (Venezuela); Mons. Ignacio Ducasse Medina, Archbishop of Antofagasta (Chile); Mons. Moisés Atisha Contreras, Bishop of San Marcos de Arica (Chile); Mons. Tomás Carrasco Cortez, Bishop of Calama (Chile); Bishop Cristóbal Bialasik, Bishop of Oruro (Bolivia); Mons. Juan Carlos Asqui Pilco, Auxiliary Bishop of Tacna and Moquegua (Peru); and Mons. Jorge Carrión Pavlich, Bishop of Puno (Peru).

Together with lay people, religious and priests, the bishops shared these days of dialogue and reflection on the reality of migrants who arrive in their countries, both in transit and to settle in search of a better situation.

On the occasion of this meeting, Pope Francis sent a message in which he thanked the bishops and pastoral agents who care about migrants, while encouraging them to “not fail to discover and wipe in each one of them the face of the suffering Christ, every time they are forced to abandon their land by finding no other way out, facing multiple risks and tribulations of a hard path that is not always completed.”

“Thank you for committing to them in their fight for a society that does them justice and respects their dignity,” concluded the Holy Father.

In dialogue with EWTN NewsMons. Marco Antonio Cortez, Bishop of Tacna and Moquegua, stated that the purpose of the meeting was “to reflect on the current migratory reality of these three sister countries, and to share, as we have been doing throughout these 20 years, the good practice of pastoral action, which promotes, defends and maintains the dignity of people in situations of human mobility, to reaffirm the commitment between sister Churches.”

The prelate pointed out that the current situation regarding migration in the three countries that share a border is marked by the migrant and refugee brothers from Venezuela. “We know well that since both Bolivia and Peru are obligatory gateways—in this case for Chile—this phenomenon has been occurring, urged by the need to search for better well-being,” he indicated.

“We have seen groups, both from years ago from the Dominican Republic, Colombia, Haiti, Ecuador, even from African countries, who wanted to pass. And now those who set the tone are the Venezuelan migrant pilgrims” who in Peru number one and a half million, he explained.

Faced with the drama of migrants, Bishop Cortez highlighted the presence of the Church “as mother and teacher”, which “is present where its children need it”, through institutions, congregations, ecclesiastical jurisdictions, “ attending, welcoming, accompanying, wiping away tears.”

“The Church is not indifferent to this reality, it becomes a compassionate mother,” he said, inviting us to promote a culture in which “each person is my brother, he is not my enemy, but he is a person who can insert himself into reality.” in which I live.”

Finally, he warned that not everyone who has emigrated “is a criminal,” and although there are serious problems in the host countries because “not everyone is a saint,” he considered that “there is the challenge, there is the challenge that we must address” and In that sense, “dialogue is essential,” he stated.

After the procession and closing Mass, which was celebrated on Thursday night, a declaration of the border bishops of Peru, Bolivia and Chile, entitled And who is my neighbor?.

There, they consider “extremely important to involve the entire Church in a process of awareness of forced migration, getting into the skin of the migrant and refugee” and reiterate the support assumed by the Catholic Church 20 years ago in the field of human mobility.

Likewise, they thank God “for the dedication of collaborators and volunteers who act in so many initiatives for the good of migrants and refugees.”

“Our horizon is to generate a culture of encounter in ‘shelters and care centers on the three borders,’” they maintain.

The next Meeting of Triple Border Bishops will be in 2026, in Bolivia.