“Passing from the logic of charitable and social action to the logic of generosity and self-giving”: that’s the appeal made in recent days by Bishop Antonio Ceballos Atienza of Cadice and Ceuta, the Spanish diocese that also comprises on its territory a zone of north Africa. In a pastoral letter on “Holy Thursday and Immigration”, a phenomenon very much present in the diocese, given the frequent landing of boatloads of migrants from Morocco, Msgr. Ceballos Atienza writes that “Holy Thursday reminds us of the harsh reality of poverty, and of the inequality that scars people’s lives, and calls us to the Christian communication of charity in favour of the poor”. The obligation to help those in need emphasises the bishop of Cadice and Ceuta is an essential duty for the whole Christian community, not just of the few”. The diocese, one of the most exposed to immigration, “is witnessing in recent days the arrival of a multitude of immigrants”. It is therefore “essential that we alter our attitude”. In the bishop’s view, there is only one alternative: “Working to promote integration and build a society for everyone”. “Holy Thursday he concludes invites us to reflect on ourselves and on those who live at our side”.
