Love the Stranger: A Catholic Response to Migrants and Refugees

On 7th July 2023, amid reports of mass migrations all over the world, Liam Allmark of the Jesuit Refugee Service UK came to the parish of Gidea Park to speak about the recent document of the Bishops of England and Wales, Love the Stranger: A Catholic Response to Migrants and Refugees. The document takes up and develops the teaching of the Popes since Leo XIII in the late nineteenth century. Our response to migrants and refugees must be based on acknowledgement of the innate value of every person. Recognising that the good things of this world are for all we must allow that those who need to leave their own lands have a right to migrate. The document also asserts that people should be able to flourish in their own lands and that richer nations have a duty to support development. While states have a right to control their borders, they are also bound to promote the common good of all people. It is imperative that safe routes to resettlement should be established. Trafficking and slavery are only made worse by a lack of such routes. Concerns that local communities might have about migration must not be exploited for political purposes, fostering a narrow nationalism and xenophobic hatred. Migrants should be allowed to work and contribute to the societies they join. Migration in fact enriches nations with new people, new insights and new life. A discussion followed after this excellent presentation.

Part 1

Part 2