Migrants
The demonstrations of dissent, manifested also by US bishops, underline the fact that the immigrant population is considered a threat, instead of seen as encompassing the stories of people in danger – as Pope Francis has pointed out on many occasions. Such choices are bound to have serious consequences with regard to the relations between the United States and certain Countries, but they will also impact the path of dialogue and understanding and the common fight against terrorism that had been marked by significant tokens of sharing between the Churches and the Muslim world.
The first decisions of the new President of the United States of America involve also migration policies, such as the decision to build a 3.2 Km wall separating Mexico from the United States, to suspend the asylum and refugee programme, to ban Muslim citizens from seven Countries from applying for a visa. Those were three grave decisions. Unquestionably, their immediate effect is a renewed form of protectionism, but they also imply and attitude of closure and exclusion. The most serious consequences of Trump’s decisions are not confined to the political realm. They also – and especially – involve the cultural domain. In fact, they signal a close correlation between immigration and crime, immigration and terrorism, terrorism and Islamism.
The demonstration of dissent – also on the part of the US Episcopate – underline the fact that immigrants are considered a threat, instead of being seen as picturing the stories of people in danger – as Pope Francis has pointed out on many occasions.
Such choices are bound to have serious consequences with regard to the relations between the United States and certain Countries, but they will also impact the path of dialogue and understanding and the common fight against terrorism that had been marked by significant tokens of sharing between the Churches and Muslim worlds.
There’s another image – a positive one in this case – represented by the signature of a Convention envisaging the safe departure of 500 migrants from Eritrea, Somalia, South Sudan, amongst the most fragile, and from Ethiopia. That image, unlike the one portrayed by the U.S. President, is void of provocative connotations. It’s the image of humanitarian corridors, implemented in Italy for the second time, now a result of the efforts of the Italian Bishops’ Conference and of Italy’s Foreign Ministry in cooperation with Caritas, Migrantes and the St. Egidio Community. Humanitarian corridors were funded via another signature: that of Italian citizens who decided to devolve part of their tax deductions to the Italian Church in Italy, a signature for life, for the poor, and for forced migrants.
Our communities will be encouraged to write a two-year story of reception to families and individuals who obtained international protection in our Country.
It’s a new story of welcome and integration, a service that signals a Church that walks the path of mankind.
A third image of the past few days depicts the bus crowded with asylum-seekers controlled by Italian and foreign criminal organizations crossing Italy from Sicily to Ventimiglia, robbing the migrants of their last financial belongings. The bus signals a fact we were had already been made aware of, namely, 2 out of 3 people landed on Italian shores have continued their journey from Italy inside Europe. The failure to create humanitarian corridors involves not only the areas of departure of migrants – forced to leave their homelands for a set of life-threatening reasons – along with legal pathways from the Countries they are fleeing from. In fact also in Italy we failed to create legal ways to continue that journey, also owing to the failure of Europe’s migrant relocation program. The pictures of the overcrowded buses crossing our Country could be accompanied by the images of train stations, beaches, parks, bridges where many forced migrants transit, among them many children. Different images, each of which prompts new responsibilities that involve us all.
(*) Director General Migrantes Foundation
