Christian Perspectives and Practices on Refugee Protection

Este capítulo trata de contestar a una pregunta del Papa Francisco: ¿Puede la identidad diversa del que llega y del que acoge, ser una oportunidad para un cambio y un crecimiento mutuo? La respuesta que se trata de dar es a través de aquellos que han tenido la experiencia de acoger a personas desplazadas forzosamente, y de aquellos que han sido acogido, así como desde la perspectiva de aquellos que tratan de reconciliar a comunidades y conjuntamente defienden los derechos de los migrantes forzosos. Se hace especial hincapié en las motivaciones basadas en la fe.

At this moment in human history, marked by great movements of migration, identity is not a secondary issue. Those who migrate are forced to change some of their most distinctive characteristics and, whether they like or not, even those who welcome them are also forced to change. How can we experience these changes not as obstacles to genuine development, but rather as opportunities for genuine human, social and spiritual growth, a growth which respects and promotes those values which make us ever more humane and help us to live a balanced relationship with God, others and creation?
This chapter strives to answer the above question by looking through the lens of those who have been hosted as forcibly displaced persons and of those who have hosted them, as well as from the perspective of those who bring communities together and jointly advocate on behalf of forced migrants. Particular reference is made to faith-based motivations and aspirations from both the host and the person hosted.