Mediterranean country Churches discuss migrant ministry in Marseille

By Delphine Allaire and Lisa Zengarini

More than six months after Pope Francis' call Marseille for the Mediterranean to rediscover its ancient vocation as a laboratory of peace, and for more humane migration policies, around fifty Church actors working in the pastoral care of migrants in the region met in the French port city to discuss how to offer a better human life and spiritual assistance to migrants trying to reach Europe and strengthening their cooperation.

From April 4 to 8, the “MED 24 on Migration”was organized by the Mediterranean Relations Service and Migrant Pastoral Care of the Diocese of Marseille.

Network together

During five days of exchanges, participants from the five shores of the Mediterranean, including Morocco, Tunisia, Albania, Greece, Spain, Italy, the Holy Land and France, shared their experiences, the many challenges they encounter in their work helping migrants, and discussed perspectives and networking together.

The Archbishop of Marseille, Cardinal Jean-Marc Aveline, was present at the meeting and reiterated the urgency of reflecting and raising awareness on this burning subject, beyond ideology.

Beyond ideology

Speaking to Delphine Allaire of Vatican News, Cardinal Aveline insisted that this issue is an unavoidable challenge of our times and highlighted three crucial points, the first of which is to remind people that migration is part of our history. This, he noted, is particularly true for a cosmopolitan city like Marseille: “If we dug into our own history, we would discover that we are all descended from the wandering Aramaic,” he said.

The second point emphasized by the Archbishop of Marseille is to listen to the testimonies of migrants and asylum seekers, rather than only considering statistics: “It is better to listen to the life story of someone other than hearing the instructions of the bishops,” he remarked.

Finally, he said, we need “critical information”, that is to say “how can we not let ourselves be influenced by what we are told on this issue but verify ourselves information”.

More than numbers: listening to migrants' stories

The need to give a face to migrants and asylum seekers and listen to their stories was also repeatedly highlighted by participants during the discussions.

Among them, Daniel Bourha, a young Catholic Cameroonian who arrived in Marseille in 2016 after a long and perilous two-year journey from his conflict-torn native country, passing through Libyan detention camps and then the Italian island of Lampedusa, l one of the main arrival points for migrants crossing the Mediterranean to Europe from North Africa. He told Vatican News that the only way to prevent young Cameroonians from leaving their country would be to end the exploitation of its natural resources by foreign powers, thereby providing them with more job opportunities in Cameroon.

From the cradle of civilization to the cemetery

Father Antoine Exelmans is a Fidei Donum priest who has worked in Morocco since 2016, serving sub-Saharan migrants in Casablanca who follow the so-called “Western route” of illegal migration to Europe. He confirmed to Vatican News that what is missing from the current narrative are the tragic experiences of migrants and asylum seekers trying to cross the Mediterranean, which has become a cemetery, as Pope Francis constantly repeats.

Sister Antonietta Papa, who has been working with migrants in Lampedusa since September 2023, personally witnessed this tragedy. “When we welcome migrants to the island, we see coffins passing by,” she said, remembering with emotion seeing a migrant’s 15-month-old baby fall into the water and drown. on Good Friday.

Participants also discussed the Eastern Mediterranean migration route in the Western Balkans, where in 2022 some 130,000 people attempted to enter Europe via Turkey. Many are Muslims from Syria, Afghanistan, Bangladesh and North Africa and local Caritas organizations have even mobilized imams to offer them spiritual assistance, as explained in a testimony by Ariela Mitri, director deputy of Caritas Albania.

The contribution of migrants to society

On the other hand, several participants noted that the Church's work with migrants has also helped to revive the Christian faith in some local communities in host countries.

Dominican Brother Xavier Gomez OP, director of the Migration Department of the Spanish Episcopal Conference (CES), further recalled that migrants contribute not only to the economic development of their country of origin but also to the economy of the countries of origin. welcome. However, he cautioned, this does not mean they should be treated as commodities to be exploited. This is why the Spanish bishops launched the Atlantic Hospitality (“Atlantic Hospitality”), a joint effort involving 26 dioceses in Spain and Africa to provide safe spaces for migrants in transit upon their arrival in Europe. An example of ecclesial networking which could serve as a model in other parts of the Mediterranean.