Washington D.C., Jun 3, 2010 / 23:29 pm
Meeting with other bishops in a conference on immigration reform on Thursday, Bishop John C. Wester underlined the need “to address the economic root causes of migration and seek economic policies which would help create jobs” in other countries. This, he stressed, “is the lasting and humane solution to the challenge of illegal immigration.”
Bishop Wester, who leads the Diocese of Salt Lake City and is Chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration, made his remarks at the fourth regional consultation on migration. Today's meeting was the first meeting held in the United States.
“Our purpose is to work together to fashion a multi-national pastoral and advocacy response to the millions of persons in this hemisphere who are compelled, either by fear of violence or poverty, to migrate in search of safety or a better life,” he explained.
“As a global institution, the Catholic Church plays an important role in advancing humane responses to the issue of migration and its impact on the human dignity and basic human rights of the person. We are present in both sending and receiving countries and see the forces which compel persons to migrate, and thus approach the issue from both sides.”