“Migrations: a challenge for Europe” is the title of the meeting of general secretaries of the Bishops’ Conferences of Europe due to be held in Minsk from 14 to 18 June, but the question has already been the central focus of a previous CCEE meeting. In September 2006, in fact, “Migration and youth – an opportunity for the Church and society in Europe” was the theme of the meeting of national directors and bishop promoters of the pastoral mission to migrants, representing 25 Bishops’ Conferences of Europe. “Finding themselves at the confluence of various cultures, youth play a crucial role in the process of social cohesion and integration”, observed the participants in the meeting. Yet when young immigrants “want to actively participate in the life of society, they run into numerous difficulties: racist attitudes, exclusion from the labour market and political life, inadequate education and training, and lack of protection”. Recognizing these obstacles, the delegates made various “pastoral recommendations”: “the Churches of the countries of arrival, transit and departure” are called “to respond to the appeals arising from the strong social and spiritual privations of these youth” by seeking “the most human solutions with the various authorities in the civil and political spheres”, says the document. “Immigrant youth ask that ‘fraternal spaces’ be created in which they can gain awareness of their own identity, grow in faith, and find a place for themselves in society and in the Church”, continues the document, which recommends that “the qualities of immigrant youth” be fostered by recognizing their “willingness to assume responsibilities in the Church and in society”.
