AMERICA/UNITED STATES - US bishops urged to find ways to welcome, serve immigrants

Texas (Agenzia Fides) - Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, encouraged prelates meeting via Zoom for the U.S. bishops' virtual spring assembly to find ways to welcome what may be a growing number of immigrants to their dioceses and to serve them the way they would serve Christ. "I like to invite every diocese to see how your churches might participate in the beautiful experience of welcoming migrants and sharing their stories", said Seitz on June 18, the last day of the three-day meeting.
"This isn't an experience just for border dioceses but can be an invitation to the entire church to welcome Christ in the stranger, with compassion, dignity and hospitality", he said. "It can renew your ministry. It can renew your parishes. Don't be afraid to reach out".
His words were part of a presentation by Auxiliary Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville of Washington, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration, who shared the recent status of various immigration projects awaiting action by Congress.
The church believes in the dignity of every person, "regardless of immigration status", Dorsonville said. Seitz said that as a border bishop, "I see Christ knocking at our door in the presence of people on the move." They are what he called "part of a great Central American exodus, people escaping death, fleeing poverty, violence, persecution and looking for hope". On the occasion of the recent World Refugee Day, the United States Bishops' Conference recalled that "for the past twenty years, World Refugee Day (June 20) has been celebrated annually in the United States and around the world to increase the awareness of the plight of refugees and other forcibly displaced people. Over the past three consecutive years, the United States has seen unprecedented numbers of refugees.
With the easing of restrictions related to the Covid-19 pandemic, along with a revised presidential decision for this year, there is now a path to the refugee admission program in the US.
Currently, the world faces the largest forced migration crisis since World War II, with almost 80 million forcibly displaced persons in all the world and 25 million refugees among them, of whom about half are children". (CE) (Agenzia Fides, 22/6/2021)

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