LovetheStranger

Paul Bodenham From Caritas On A Timely Contribution To The Immigration Debate

Last month the Bishops’ Conference published a thought-provoking response to the increasingly polarised rhetoric surrounding migration into the UK. Here we introduce what the Bishops’ publication has to say. You’re invited to join fellow parishioners in an online workshop on 17 May to explore ways to put the Bishops’ teaching into practice.

The document introduces itself by saying, “In 2023, people making dangerous journeys across the Channel to reach the UK are called by various names: ‘refugees’, ‘asylum seekers’, ‘migrants’, and often by more derogatory terms.

“Love the Stranger … articulates our Christian duty to look beyond such labels and see the person who has left their homeland in search of a better life. The document places the human being at the heart of our pastoral outreach, looking beyond statistics and policies to the person – each with a name, a face and a story.”

One of the most useful aspects of Love the Stranger is its 24 principles drawn from Catholic social teaching Each one expresses succinctly why immigration policy cannot be a matter of indifference, and places the dignity of each individual at the heart of the choices we must make as citizens and as a country

The Illegal Migration Bill currently before Parliament is not mentioned directly Nor are plans to house large numbers of asylum seekers in isolated military bases including RAF Scampton near Lincoln However recent government policies are clearly in the Bishops’ sights The Bill would deny anyone who does not, or cannot, arrive by one of the few official routes the right to claim asylum It is incompatible with Catholic social teaching and the UN Refugee Convention

The document makes clear that migration is a right, not only for those fleeing danger but for anyone seeking a better life. As a receiving country the UK has rights and responsibilities too. Love the Stranger starts by calling on the government to address the factors that drive people from their homelands, including the arms trade and climate change The UK should respond with a just aid budget and support for human rights

According to Catholic social teaching it is only in the context of these obligations that the UK has a right to protect its borders – but it should do so for the common good and not only because of national interest It calls for more safe routes and resettlement programmes than those currently available (mainly to people fleeing Syria, Afghanistan, Ukraine and Hong Kong).

We might also add that our global economic system is exacerbating the inequality which drives much migration. It would have been helpful if the document had called out the UK’s complicity in a system which seems to be incapable of an option for the poor.

The document takes a stand against nationalism which prevents us seeing humanity as a single family. In places where there are concerns about migration it urges Christians to resist attempts to manipulate anxieties and exploit them for xenophobic purposes And it encourages us to start at home, making clear that the contribution which migrants and refugees make to our parishes and to our country is to be cherished

Love the Stranger would benefit from some case studies to illustrate the principles being put into practice But that is where we come in Join us on 17 May to find ways to take action in your own parish and diocese.

Meanwhile Caritas Social Action Network has issued a call to action equipping you to reflect, pray, speak up and volunteer They offer a template letter which you can adapt and send to your MP asking them to resist proposals in the ‘cruel and unworkable’ Illegal Migration Bill I

Instead the letter asks them to:

Protect rather than punish refugees by defending their fundamental right to seek asylum.

Stand up for the UN Refugee Convention and this country’s proud history as a founding signatory.

Ensure the government provides alternatives to dangerous journeys, including safe routes.

Insist on an effective asylum system which is just and compassionate, gives people a fair hearing and reduces the backlog in a fair manner.

Download Love the Stranger from the Bishops’ Conference at cbcew.org.uk/love-the-stranger

To write to your MP about the Illegal Migration Bill visit csan.org.uk/news/csan-statement-on-the-illegalmigration-bill/.