Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Vatican City (Agenzia Fides) – “The family is the way of the Church and pastoral care directed at the migrant’s and itinerant’s family particularly aims at the integration (which is not assimilation), and/or the cohesion of the family in migration and itinerancy. At times, the maintenance of family unification or its reunification is a fundamental goal, because its members could be separated by distance or its disintegration.” These are the opening affirmations made in the Final Document from the 18th Plenary Session of the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People, which took place in Rome this past May 13-15, with the theme: “The Migrant and Itinerant Family.” Here are several extracts from the document.
The migrant and itinerant families are distinguished by the fact that they live a temporary separation, shorter or longer depending on the case at hand. “While a migrant or an itinerant person is far from home, s/he leaves the other partner alone to take care of and educate the children and somehow compels her/him to discharge the responsibilities of both parents. This could cause tension in the family. A permanent breakup could also ensue... This is a challenge to these families and also to those who give them pastoral assistance.”
“There are two basic approaches that must be utilized in the pastoral care of migrant families. First, to assist the family to maintain cohesion and, second, to find ways to assist the inculturation process (incarnation into different cultures), which is closely linked with integration. This implies dialogue which leads to understanding one another.”
“Many families, or one or more of its members, migrate because they cannot live with dignity in their own country or society. People get employment in jobs that cause mobility, to support themselves and their families. Especially undocumented or irregular migrants leave their country without their whole family, with the intention of sending remittances back home. Since they are all a resource to the societies where they work, in spite of their legal status, it is their due to have their problem of temporary or prolonged family separation addressed.”
“The way public opinion perceives the integration or non-integration of migrants plays an important role in setting up migration policies, especially the admittance or non-admittance of family members. In this regard it would be important to make the Church’s programmes in welcoming migrants known, including its spiritual and social services, advocacy and mediation work, especially in the major countries of destination. There is also a need to study and develop better legal frameworks — both in the international and the national levels — with the aim to make societies offer real possibilities for integration (which is not assimilation), rehabilitation for those who return, social stability and cohesion both for nationals, itinerant people and migrants, with their families.”
“Human trafficking, especially that of women and children, and the undocumented, or irregular, status of immigrants are other pastoral challenges to which the Church must respond. Programs of protection for the trafficked individuals, with the aim of eventually unifying them with their families, and projects to assist in regularizing the illegal status of immigrants... Immigrants are often forced to take multiple jobs, sometimes leaving their children unattended or involved in child labor practices. Attention to the working conditions of new immigrants, programs of economic assistance, especially job finding services, are also powerful pastoral tools, without forgetting what is specifically pastoral.”
“A pastoral program of welcome is perhaps the best pastoral tool that the Church can use to assist families in the context of migration... Such a family ministry has to be in dialogue with migrants and itinerant people to know them, their life situations, their conditions of work. Dialogue with them will reveal their real pastoral situation, their priority needs, and the ways by which effective response can be given to their situation. Through such a dialogue an effective family ministry can be set up. Without it a pastoral response can be misdirected and irrelevant.”
“In general, the pastoral approach to families in mobility demands flexibility and attention to the family unit as a whole... Although the situation of migrants and itinerant people varies from country to country, some of the common elements described above demand action so that a true pastoral care and welcome to families of migrants and itinerant people might be the hallmark of the attitude and praxis of the Church towards people in mobility.” (SL) (Agenzia Fides 3/6/2008)
