Mission of the Church to migrants in England and Wales
Bishop Pat Lynch's message
Over the last few years, there has been a transformation of the social character of the dioceses in England and Wales. Across the country in all our dioceses, we have migrants from nearly every continent in the world, adding people and vibrancy to our parishes. We, the Bishops of England and Wales, have been considering this new social reality with a view to issuing a statement calling for a more visible culture of welcome, hospitality and solidarity with our migrant sisters and brothers in God’s family. We recognise and celebrate their rich cultural and spiritual patrimony and the ways in which they are enriching us as they join us in our parishes and dioceses. This statement, ‘Mission of the Church to Migrants in England and Wales’ is the result.
+Patrick Lynch
Auxiliary Bishop of Southwark
Bishop with pastoral responsibility for migrants
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Migrants' Profiles
Bernice Pascal
Country of origin: Dominica, West Indies
Age: 77
"When I [first] came into the church with my six children, the whole pew would move away, so I would have the whole pew to myself... Now parish life is fantastic... The Church has helped me with my faith and finding out what a Catholic really means, what a Catholic really is."
Alphonse Daudet Touna
Country of origin: Cameroon
Age: 42
"The welcome I received in this parish was a big surprise, and I have really grown spiritually through its support. Fr Richard, the parish priest, approached me when I had just arrived and spoke little English."
José de Jesús Vasquez
Country of origin: Honduras, Central America
"I am Catholic and I believed in God, but through my difficulties here, I have begun truly to know God."
Lerma Novales
Country of origin: Manila, Philippines
Age: 32
"We have brought our tradition of processions here to London. We process with a statue of Our Lady."
Manuel Eduardo Santos
Place/country of origin: Lisbon, Portugal
Age: 57
"When I first arrived in the UK, there was a very small Portuguese community. Those I met told me about
the Portuguese Mass in Stockwell and I started to go there. It was a tough time not being able to speak English and not having a support network."
Jorge Luís Cortin
Country of origin: Colombia
"I came because of the difficult political and economic situation in our country and also difficulties getting work. I wanted to leave to protect my life. The hardest thing about England at first was the language and then the customs, which are not the same as ours."
Related news:
30/04/2007
Mass in support of migrant workers – May 7th 2007
14/11/2006
Message for World Migration Day
02/05/2006
Homily by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O'Connor – May Day for Migrants
Supporting resources and links:
The Dispossessed: A Brief Guide to the Catholic Church's Concern for Refugees and Migrants
Produced by the Office for Refugee Policy
Department of International Affairs
Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales 2004
Erga migrantes caritas Christi (Love of Christ towards migrants) 2004
Populorum Progressio (The Development of Peoples) 1967
Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church 2005
Christus Dominus (Second Vatican Council) 1965
Laborem Exercens (On Human Work) 1981
Exsul Familia (The Émigré Holy Family) 1952
Mater et Magistra (Christianity and Social Progress) 1961
Gaudium et Spes (The Church in the Modern World) 1965
De Pastorali Migratorum Cura (The Pastoral Care of Migrants) 1969
Note: only available in Latin
The Apostolic Letter, Caritatis (Sacrament of Charity) 1970
Note: only available in Latin
Pastor Bonus (The Good Shepherd) 1988
Statement by H.E. Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio (2006)
Head of the Delegation of the Holy See
61st session of the General Assembly
High-level Dialogue on International Migration and Development
Ecclesia in Europa (the Church in Europe) 2003
The Common Good and the Catholic Church's Social Teaching
International/UN/EU conventions:
The International Convention on the Protection of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families 2003
The European Convention on Human Rights 1957
The UN Convention Against Organised Crime and its two Protocols on the Trafficking and Smuggling of Human Beings 2003
The European Convention on Action Against Trafficking in Human Beings 2004
The 1951 UN Convention on the Status of Refugees and the 1967 Protocol