WORLD CONGRESS FOR PASTORAL CARE OF MIGRANTS AND REFUGEES

VATICAN CITY, NOV 11, 2003 (VIS) - Cardinal Stephen Fumio Hamao, Archbishop Agostino Marchetto and Fr. Michael Blume, S.V.D., president, secretary and undersecretary respectively of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant Peoples, presented today in the Holy See Press Office the program of the fifth World Congress on the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees. The congress whose theme is, 'Starting Afresh from Christ. Towards a renewed pastoral care of migrants and refugees,' will take place from November 17 to 22 in Rome.

Cardinal Hamao indicated that the congress' program includes various conferences on the current situation of migrants and refugees in the world, in addition to existing pastoral challenges, the Church's vision on human mobility, its mission in a multicultural or intercultural society and ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue. Delegates representing the Anglican Communion, the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, the World Lutheran Federation and the World Council of Churches will also participate. The challenge of charity and the creation of a world that is more just, free and peaceful will be discussed. Finally, some considerations on the importance of the Eucharist, as a sign and instrument of the Christian community, will be presented.

During his speech, Archbishop Marchetto spoke about the phenomenon of migration. He recalled that there are 'almost one billion persons each year who leave their home country for work, tourism or on pilgrimage or in exile, or to escape war, afflicted by poverty or forced to seek asylum.' According to the International Organization for Migration (OIM), the United States, with 35 million people and the Russian Federation, with 13,300,000 people, are the countries with highest number of immigrants.
The secretary of the dicastery emphasized that the terrorist attacks of September 11 'have had an notable impact on migration' and their effects 'have highlighted the importance of the efficient management of immigrant waves and provoked increased awareness about the insufficiency of solely local measures.'

'It is necessary,' he continued, 'to find a solution to the difficult problem of consolidating the unity of all of humanity with the diversity of peoples, ethnicities, cultures and religions that compose it. This implies welcoming our neighbor, with a culture of dialogue and reciprocity, solidarity and peace.'

Fr. Blume then spoke about the situation of refugees today: 'There are 12 million refugees under the mandate of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHRC) and another 4 million under the United Nations Relief and Aid Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA).'

He concluded by saying: 'If the pastoral care of refugees can assume different forms, according to the circumstances, its starting point should always be the comprehension of a situation in all its dimensions ' personal, social, economic, political ' in the light of the Word of God and the social doctrine of the Church.'
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