We are committed to the principles of Catholic Social Teaching that remind us that: the dignity of the person is at the core of our moral vision of society; that how we organize our society affects human dignity directly; and that any system that is deliberately cruel or inhumane needs to change. As women of faith who continue to accompany and minister to immigrant communities, we see the suffering caused by our broken immigration system in our parishes, service agencies, hospitals, and schools. We see families torn apart, workers exploited, and communities under siege.
Reading the signs of the times from our desire to create communion, we, the Leadership Conference of Women Religious, affirm the interrelatedness of the justice concerns addressed by the LCWR Call for 2015-2022. We are heartbroken by the myriad ways our one human family and Earth, our common home, suffer from disconnection, indifference, violence, and fear in the face of racism, migration, and climate crisis.
Despite the problems, risks, and difficulties to be faced, great numbers of migrants and refugees continue to be inspired by confidence and hope; in their hearts they long for a better future, not only for themselves but for their families and those closest to them.
Pope Francis, Message for the World Day of Refugees, 2014.