There are about one third of the members of the Catholic Church in Switzerland come from migration, a presence that marks ecclesial life in many ways. To take into account multilingualism and cultural diversity, around 110 missions or chaplaincies provide pastoral assistance to these faithful. Every year about 21,000 religious services are celebrated in over 20 languages and rituals.
Future models and possible evolution of missions. Awareness raising of people active in traditional pastoral care and in the ministry of migrants. Focusing the mandate of the Migration Office on pastoral tasks. Strengthening of the principle of subsidiarity at the level of financial and administrative tasks, and more equitable distribution of funds. These are based on the data and information provided by the report “Pastoral Care for Migrants in Switzerland” were published on March 25, by the Roman Catholic Central Conference of Switzerland (RKZ). This document is in fact part of a project on the future of the pastoral care of migrants, undertaken jointly by the CES and the RKZ, and examines the current situation and takes stock of five aspects: Diversity of pastoral reality: a problem or an opportunity?
As a result, “a lucid approach to the pastoral care of migrants offers the possibility of becoming more aware of coexistence among the faithful and of strengthening it, as well as promoting coexistence based on mutual respect and openness”, according to the report.
Source: Fides.org
