Conference's simple message: 'Welcome the stranger'

Intermountain Catholic

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Allison Posner, director of the advocacy section for Catholic Legal Immigration Network, and the Most Rev. Eusebio Elizondo, Auxiliary Bishop of Seattle, listen during a panel. IC photos/Marie Mischel

SALT LAKE CITY - A three-day conference organized by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Catholic Legal Immigration Network took place in Salt Lake City Jan. 11 to Jan. 13. Leaders from all over the United States gathered to learn and discuss different aspects of immigration.

"The importance of this type of conference is because we are a Catholic universal church," said Sally Buffy, a Sister of Charity from Cincinnati, Ohio. "This is really a way to strengthen not only our understanding but our commitment to the Gospel."

The main focus of the conference was immigration legislation reform, state-initiated laws and how they impact local communities.

For some local people, the conference was an opportunity to reinforce the words of the Most Rev. John C. Wester, Bishop of Salt Lake City, about welcoming the stranger.

"It is important so we know how to welcome our friends," said Bobbie Hunt, a Saint Rose of Lima parishioner and past president of the National Council of Catholic Women (NCCW).

Hunt said that she got a fuller understanding of how to discuss immigration issues. "This [immigration] is an issue that is very important for us and for our state because we have so many people coming here right now; we have to be knowledgeable enough and have intelligent conversations about it and that’s what this conference has done for me."

"To be more welcoming is very important," added Kathy Jones, a Saint Olaf parishioner who is treasurer of NCCW.

Bishop Wester, who was appointed to the Salt Lake City diocese in 2007 and is immediate past chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on Migration, has made a continuous effort to educate about the importance of the dignity of the migrants. In particular, he has emphasized the mandate to welcome the stranger and reach out to the alien, a foundational principle for the followers of the Bible.

"Immigration is a human, moral and ethical issue that involves the human right of millions," said Wendy Cervantes, from the Immigration & Child Rights Policy, First Focus, who was one of the conference panelists.

"Hospitality is a sign of the presence of God. All people should be able to live in dignity and raise their families in safety;" this is based on our Gospel value of loving thy neighbor as ourselves, said Bishop Wester, referring to the fact that sometimes when people listen to the histories of migrants they have a better understanding of the real situation and they will be able to put faces to the people the laws affect.