Chile: The Catholic Church shares its concern about the tragedy of migrants

The bishops of the Permanent Committee of the Episcopal Conference of Chile presented the document this Wednesday I was a stranger and they welcomed mewhich has the purpose of contributing to a Christian view of the current phenomenon of migration in the country.

The material arises from the Church’s permanent concern to contribute to social reality from faith, and is also based on the evidence that in recent times, an unfavorable opinion towards migration has grown among Chileans.

The presentation took place on Wednesday morning at the offices of the Chilean Catholic Migration Institute (INCAMI), and was attended by the bishops and representatives of different Catholic groups, civil society and the State that provide services on the migrant issue.

“What moves us is that, especially Christians, we will not simply participate in social prejudices and simplistic views regarding such a relevant human and social issue, since the Gospel carries within it a commitment to fraternity, as well as to respect and promotion of human dignity,” the document states.

The text is addressed especially to pastoral agents, catechists, priests, nuns and “all those who have responsibility in announcing the Gospel and leading the Church.” Its reading is also recommended to Christian families, in the challenge of educating their children in the values ​​of Christ.

“Immigrants themselves, likewise, will be able to find in these lines support and light to face their daily tasks, often lived in the midst of adverse scenarios,” the bishops say in their introduction.

The text delves into the phenomenon of migration as “one of the most significant realities of our time,” and given the different reactions it generates in society, it considers it important to seek “objective information that demolishes prejudices or simplisms that sometimes establish themselves among we”.

The document exposes the figures and causes of migration in Chile, where more than one and a half million foreigners currently live, and then goes into depth about the worrying situations surrounding this phenomenon, which have to do with the immigration legal framework, the relationship between migration and crime, or between migration and employment.

After exposing the historical view of the Church on migrants, and the teaching of Pope Francis on the issue, the bishops of Chile focus their message on a call to pay attention to the care of minor migrants, especially to the competent authorities. , to find legal mechanisms that will regularize their situation and that of their families, in order to prevent them from continuing to put their lives at high risk.

“We hope that the spirit of welcome, respect for the dignity of the human person and the rationality to look at the immigration issue are values ​​and attitudes that permeate our families and the entire national community,” they express.

Likewise, they call on all social bodies to “take this view and contribute to a better response to the fair expectations of migrants.”

Finally, they hope that migration never becomes a partisan banner, since it is “a human drama that cannot serve any purpose other than restoring dignity to the people who are precisely requiring it.”

Addressing the migrants, the Catholic Church in Chile expresses the desire to “accompany and welcome them,” so that they feel “that the Church is their home and their family.” At the same time, they apologize “for not having been able to meet their legitimate expectations.”

The event of presentation of the document was also an opportunity for the prelates to talk with the INCAMI workers and with the migrants who come to the place to request support.