wfn.org | ACNS3674 Congress for pastoral care of migrants held in Rome

["Anglican Communion News Service" <acnslist@anglicancommunion.org>]

ACNS 3674     |     EUROPE     |     17 NOVEMBER 2003 

Congress for pastoral care of migrants held in Rome

by Matthew Davies

The Fifth World Congress for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Refugees
begins today in Rome. The programme will include various conferences on
the current situation of migrants and refugees in the world and will
focus on existing pastoral challenges, the Church's vision on human
mobility, its mission in a multicultural or intercultural society and
ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue.

The Most Revd Ian George, Anglican Archbishop of Adelaide, Australia,
and Convenor of the Anglican Communion's Refugee and Migrant Network
(ACRMN), is attending the congress as a fraternal delegate. He explains
that provinces of the Anglican Communion have been actively involved in
advocacy for refugees and migrants but ACRMN has unfortunately held
infrequent global gatherings as a result of lack of funds. Archbishop
George urges churches to show a greater sense of moral urgency [to the
current situation] and to speak out against insular and sinful attitudes

Delegates representing the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople,
the World Lutheran Federation and the World Council of Churches will
also participate in this week's conference.

The Fourth World Congress, which took place in 1998, dealt with
"Migration at the Threshold of the Third Millennium" and Pope John Paul
II expressed the hope that the analyses, decisions and proposals made
during the Congress "would be an effective stimulus for those who, in
the Church and in society, share in this concern for migrants and
refugees."

As a follow-up to the Congress, the Pontifical Council organised four
Regional Meetings (Asia-Pacific, Africa, Europe, America) of National
Directors for the Pastoral Care of Migrants, which concluded with a
World Meeting. All these meetings aimed to find out how the local
Churches were actually responding to the situation and determine ways by
which they could be more effective in the pastoral field.

The Vatican describes migration as an age-old phenomenon adding that
"modern-day global phenomena have encouraged its increase, even to the
point of being unmanageable, and beyond reasonable control". Violence,
war, terrorism and violation of human rights have all triggered the
movement of refugees.

This week's congress, the theme of which is "Starting Afresh from
Christ. Towards a New Pastoral Care for Migrants and Refugees",
concludes on Saturday 22 November with a General Assembly for the
presentation of the workshop results and the final document, which will
include prospects and suggestions for the future.

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