No to fear of foreigners

In terms of immigration the headlines of the British papers in recent weeks have spoken of the United Kingdom as a country under siege. Exact figures are difficult to come by, precisely because many immigrants are not registered with the competent authorities. Nonetheless, according to the official data, after the enlargement of the European Union in 2004, almost 300,000 immigrants from Eastern Europe have obtained a work permit in the UK. A survey conducted by Ernst & Young has shown that immigrants are accelerating the growth of the UK and that the low costs of skilled manpower furnished by Eastern European immigrants are lowering interest rates by as much as 0.5%. These findings have however been denied by a survey conducted by Migrationwatch, according to which immigrants represent a net cost for the country. The differences between economic immigrants, illegal immigrants and political refugees have been deliberately blurred by those who aimed to exploit this confusion to obtain a political advantage. Even if the media debate on immigration tends to create more controversy than clarification, the Catholic Church sees far-reaching changes in the country, especially in London. The tensions raised by terrorist attacks between the national Muslim community and the rest of the country, and within the Muslim community itself, were recently addressed in a speech on “Catholic-Muslim Dialogue Today” given by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor at the Oxford Centre for Islamic Studies. “I think our journey together in contemporary Europe – said the cardinal – will be experienced at a local level, in places where Christian and Muslim families co-exist in the same towns and boroughs. In London, there is an organization called London Citizens, which works with churches and mosques to bring to bear their concerns to local authorities. At the meetings of London Citizens, it is very heartening to see Mass-going Catholics and Mosque-going Muslims share common experiences and common concerns, and decide to act together on issues such as housing or fair wages for migrants. From such encounters come friendships and from friendships is born the curiosity to know each other better”. This alternative vision to overcome the fear of foreigners has the Catholic Church as one of its protagonists. While the English press was debating the issue, the three London dioceses met in Westminster Cathedral to celebrate Mass in May with over 2,000 immigrant workers. “We wish you to feel at home in our parishes and in our schools and in our offices – Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor told Muslims -. We want you to know that this is your home”. “It is up to the Government – he pointed out – to guarantee the fight against illegal immigration. But when foreigners are here, as a Christian I have to say: ‘I am with you.’ Even if they are here illegally, I cannot say, as a Christian: ‘I’ll do all I can to see to it that you are expelled tomorrow.’ I have to say: ‘What are your immediate needs? How can I support and help you?'” With the political parties fearful of the influence of the popular press and forced to adopt alarmist rhetoric on the question of immigration, there’s an evident need for the strong voice of the Church.