The fundamental documents of the Church concerning the priestly care of migrants

Abstract

In the period of developing scholarly and practical interest in the problems of migrant ministration, there is a need to popularize the fundamental Church documents in this matter. The most important of them are: the Apostolic constitution Exsul familia, motu proprio Pastoratis migratorum cura, the instruction De pastorali migratorum cura and motu proprio Apostolicae caritatis.

It appears from them, that the Church feels obliged to a special priestly care of migrants, taking into consideration their difficult living conditions, needs, and their own spiritual heritage. This obligation applies to the whole God's people: priests, monks, and lay persons, individual persons and various communities and institutions. All migrant Catholics should be taken care of, and also — as far as it is possible — acatholics and non-Chrostians. The Chuch should be interested in all the migrants needs, mainly int the religious field, but also in social, cultural, or even economic matters.

The Church's activities concerned with migrants are organized on three levels: all-Church, national and diocesan. They are directed by respectively: the Congregation of Bishops, the conferences of bishops and diocesan bishops. In performing their duties individual authories should use many other institutions and persons.