Migration is at the centre of Adveniat 2006, the charity of the German Bishops’ Conference for Latin America. Latin America is the area with the highest rate of migration in the world. This year’s campaign is focused on the example of Mexico to make people understand what it is that forces people into emigration, the tragedies that take place in the frontier areas and the ways in which the Catholic Church tries to protect migrants and to reinforce their rights. The campaign, which is traditionally held in the Christmas period, will be inaugurated on 3 December with a solemn celebration in Münster Cathedral. Throughout German territory some 200 events – conferences, discussion forums, charity concerts, eucharistic celebrations – will complement the collection of funds by Adveniat. The fund-raising will take place with the involvement of guests from Mexico, who will describe the situation and problems of their country. Before the official inauguration, a round table with the title “Prospects for developments and migration in Latin America” is to be held in Berlin on 30 November. Guest speakers will include the parliamentarian Peter Weiß, Monsignor José Sánchez González, chairman of the Commission for the Pastoral Care of Migrants of the Spanish Bishops’ Conference, Nikolaus Werz, professor at the University of Rostock and the director of Adveniat Bernd Klaschka.
