Washington D.C., May 28, 2008 / 20:56 pm
Prominent politicians, clergy, a genocide survivor, and an immigrant author will speak at the U.S. Bishops-sponsored National Migration Conference this July in Washington, D.C.
The National Migration Conference is sponsored by the Migration and Refugee Services department of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. “Renewing Hope, Seeking Justice” is the theme chosen for the conference, which is scheduled for July 28-31.
Archbishop of Los Angeles Cardinal Roger Mahony will deliver the keynote address. Scheduled speakers include U.S. Representative Chris Smith(R-NJ), Rwandan genocide survivor Immaculee Ilibagiza, and Edwidge Danticat, a Haitian immigrant and author.
In his keynote, Cardinal Mahony will assess the role and importance of church involvement in the national immigration debate. He is expected to draw upon Pope Benedict XVI’s latest encyclical, “Saved by Hope,” and will examine the Church’s mission to “welcome the stranger.”