The Catholic’s Obligations Toward Migrants

Migration is a theme that pervades not only the Old Testament and New Testament, but also various texts published by the Catholic Church over the years. In an era of mass migration and response by faith communities, it is appropriate to explore how the migrant is treated in these texts. This paper provides an overview of Catholic social teaching regarding the migrant and migration. It aims to provide an understanding of what several major texts have to say about these topics, and specifically, the obligations that may be derived from them. The paper traces the migrant through the Old Testament and New Testament. Subsequently, it focuses on major ecclesiastical documents, including the Exsul Familia Nazarethana in 1952, De Pastorali Migratorum Cura in 1969, and Erga Migrantes Caritas Christi in 2004. Subsequently, it looks at Pope Francis’ recent actions and calls to action vis-à-vis migration. It concludes that, taken together, these sources suggest that all people of the world, including irregular migrants, should have equal treatment and access to basic rights.

Parole chiave:Migrante; migrazione; bibbia, cattolico; scritture.

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Dario Dzananovic, The Catholic’s Obligations Toward Migrants in "MONDI MIGRANTI" 1/2020, pp 31-47, DOI: 10.3280/MM2020-001003