Christ’s face

Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville, chair of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Committee on Migration, said: “In the face of each refugee, we see the face of Christ, calling us to be a neighbour. Our shared humanity should motivate us to respond to those in need, so as to imitate the Good Samaritan in Luke’s Gospel.

“As the Pope teaches, ‘Being compassionate means recognising the suffering of the other and taking immediate action to soothe, heal and save. To be compassionate means to make room for tenderness which society so often asks us to repress.’ Today, we have an opportunity to welcome the refugee with dignity and share the many blessings we enjoy as a country. Let us seize it.”

Holding firm to Jesus

Pope Francis, in his Angelus address of June 20, said: “Today we ask: what are the winds that beat against my life? What are the waves that hinder my navigation, and put my spiritual life, my family life, even my psychic life in danger? Let us say all this to Jesus; let us tell him everything. He wants us to grab hold of him to find shelter from the unexpected waves of life. …This is the beginning of our faith: to recognise that alone we are unable to stay afloat; that we need Jesus like sailors need the stars to find their course. Faith begins from believing that we are not enough for ourselves, from feeling in need of God.”

Christians disadvantaged

The bishops of Nigeria said the country’s constitution  “has put Christians and adherents of other religions at a disadvantage in any place with a Muslim majority”. The bishops noted that “while Islam is mentioned many times in the constitution, there is not a single mention of Christianity or any other religion”. They want “one law as one people in one nation”. One of the main areas of concern is the authorisation of Sharia Courts of Appeal which the bishops say render the constitution as divisive.

(Compiled by Fr Joe Borg)