In response to recent reports of racism and xenophobia in Ireland, during the Spring General Meeting that concluded on 8 March last bishops said, “racism is the opposite of encounter. It seeks to divide and to exploit anxieties by spreading fear, often through misinformation. There is no place for racism in Ireland. As a people with a long history of emigration, particularly in the light of the famine, we know deeply within ourselves what it is like to have to leave one’s homeland and seek shelter and a better life. May our response to people seeking refuge be: ‘welcome, protect, promote and integrate’ (cf Pope Francis, Fratelli Tutti. 129).”
Bishops continued, “together, let us continue to build a culture of welcome, encounter, and integration everywhere in Ireland. May we always see Jesus, who Himself was a refugee, in the face of others, especially those who seek shelter in our midst. May our communities be spaces of welcome for the flourishing of all.”
ENDS
