Coordination for migrant workers and refugees

In a letter, dated April 5, 2011, and following an initial debate in the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land, Patriarch Fouad Twal invited all priests and pastoral workers working with migrant workers and refugees to convene in the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem on April 27. In the letter, he named Father David Neuhaus, Patriarchal Vicar for the Hebrew speaking Catholics in the diocese coordinator of this new commission because the migrant workers and refugees inside Israel are part of the pastoral work of the Saint James Vicariate.

Twenty people gathered and spent the morning in a fascinating, initial discussion of the challenges of the pastoral among these populations. Present were chaplains for the Filipino, Sudanese, English speaking and French speaking African, Indian, South American and Ukrainian populations, as well as the priests from the more complex parishes in Israel: Jaffa, Haifa, Tiberius and Eilat (where there are large foreign worker and refugee populations). There were also four women religious: one from the prison chaplaincy team, one from the Filipino community and two active in refugee work.

After a word of welcome from Bishop William Shomali, auxiliary of the Latin Patriarch, the session began. After introducing themselves, each participant described in some detail the community he or she serves and the challenges that the pastoral work in that community poses. At the end of these presentations, Father David provided five areas that must serve as axes in the coordination of this pastoral:

- administration of the sacraments and their proper registration
- integration within the Local Church
- solidarity across the communities
- need for clergy
- catechism of children
- advocacy and rights and the contact with NGOs in this area.

The next meeting will be held at the beginning of June, however the real work must begin!