Consecrated Life and the Humanitarian Crisis – Immigrants/Refugees in the Twenty-first Century
By: Guillermo Campuzano, CM
From February 22-25 one hundred persons gathered together from various countries and religious congregations to reflect on the role of consecrated life with regard to the humanitarian crisis of millions of men and women who are at the present time immigrants/refugees. This was an initiative of four Congregations who are recognized at the United Nations as non-governmental organizations: the Passionists, the Augustinians, the Congregation of Saint Joseph, the Congregation of the Mission. Among the panelists were politicians, lawyers, experts in different fields, individuals involved with the media, men and women and good will who are committed to the cause of refugees and the cause of the victims of forced migration.
In the past two years the number of refugees has increased in an alarming manner. If we were to group together in one place all those individuals who are refugees and all those persons who have been displaced from their homeland (forced migration) … these people would form the fourth largest nation in the world … a nation that we could call THE DISPLACED NATION.
Together we attempted to identify the causes of this situation as well as some possible solutions (combining a global perspective with initiatives on a local level). We recognize the fact that our primary task is to enter into solidarity with many other organizations that are offering humanitarian assistance to the victims of displacement and forced migration (refugees). We want to act in coordination with those networks that already exist and that enable us to identify the country of origin of the refugees, the countries of transition, and the countries of their final destinations.
We are referring to those countless people who are attempting to survive situations of war, ecological devastation, poverty, the lack of opportunities for work and for human development. In addition to collaboration with such agencies that are providing assistance we also want to intervene on more complex levels such as law and politics where we can influence the creation of the social policies that address in a just manner the situation of migration and displacement.
Among us were refugees and victims of trafficking, persons from Somalia, Libya and Syria who shared their experiences with us. Their stories helped us to put a human face on the numbers and statistics that were set forth in various documents and further assisted us in our political and theological reflection.
In this context we recalled the challenges that Pope Francis placed before the members of consecrated life. The Pope asked that religious open their houses to refugees … such a gesture would give a new dynamism to our charism. At the present time twenty congregations have joined together and have decided to accept refugees in their general curias in Rome. Are we able to engage in a similar prophetic gesture as this? What prevents us from doing this? What is the root of our apathy and indifference in light of the unfolding drama of refugees? There are many people who are prejudiced against refugees and very often the media contribute to the creation of these collective prejudices.
Effective solidarity is only possible when true information is provided and in that instance such information will enable us to point out the injustice of certain stereotypes that create fear and paralysis on many different levels.
In light of our charism we understand that our greatest challenge is the identification of the most vulnerable groups of refugees, for example, children separated from their families; women, many of whom are widows or members of the LGBTQ community who have experienced violence, abuse and discrimination. Our assistance cannot be selective but should encompass all, should be Christian in the best sense of the word and open to those most vulnerable groups.
Among the many challenges we highlight the following:
[1] Contribute to the creation of clear and trust-worthy statistics;
[2] Provide for immigrants in the places where they are found;
[3] Provide for immigrants in a holistic and systematic manner;
[4] Prevent the separation of families; provide for the most vulnerable groups.
[5] Move from direct work to legal work and the creation of policies with regard to matters related to immigrants and refugees;
[6] Be present on every level thus create places of welcome and solidarity which in turn humanizes the destiny of the victims of this scourge;
[7] Attend to the trauma of displacement, war, violence, trafficking, etc.;
[8] Create and participate in networks of solidarity with refugees and accommodate our houses to receive them;
[9] Assist in the reconstruction of family and social networks and assure than any repartition is safe for the individuals involved;
[10] Give special attention to the human rights of these individuals so that their dignity is affirmed and so that they can engage in the process of reestablishing their life;
[11] Recognize the fact that providing for immigrants and refugees is a moral imperative for people of faith and a legal imperative for governments.
Nine Daughters of Charity, two members of the Congregation of the Mission and one lay Vincentian participated in this conference. As occurred during the time of our establishment so now our charism ought to continue to identify the new faces of poverty which God is calling us to serve. Indifference and apathy have no place among us rather our charism must always proclaim solidarity, commitment, and hospitality.
Translated: Charles T. Plock, CM
