To the editor:
Thank you for the two articles (“Refugee ministries continue work amid uncertainties” and “Catholics must uphold migrants’ dignity amid policy changes”) about the crisis being experienced by refugees in the Rochester Diocese and those ministries and organizations which assist them in their new homes. It is painful to read that those who have previously been offered a refuge from war and famine — Haitians and Venezuelans for example — are now being forced to return to the same troubled environments from which they have fled.
Both Pope Francis and Bishop Matano have emphasized in their recent letters the importance of not conflating the problem of illegal immigration with those who have been welcomed here with valid refugee status. And yet, that appears to be the widespread narrative peddled on some popular news broadcasts. This misinformation seems to be the justification for removing the limited financial support that had been previously offered to these most needy of our brothers and sisters and the organizations that assist them.
As a Church, we should be individually and collectively at the forefront of efforts to help these people stay safely in the homes they have been offered by Americans. As the Pope said in his February letter to the American bishops: “I exhort all the faithful of the Catholic Church, and all men and women of good will, not to give in to narratives that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to our migrant and refugee brothers and sisters. With charity and clarity we are all called to live in solidarity and fraternity, to build bridges that bring us ever closer together, to avoid walls of ignominy and to learn to give our lives as Jesus Christ gave his for the salvation of all.”
Michael J. DeMott
Seville Avenue, Rochester
