Contents of the letter
Background
The text sets itself against the background ofMigration in light of scripture
The section of ''Strangers No Longer'' dealing with migration in light ofMigration in light of Catholic social teaching
The bishops, reflecting onPastoral challenges for the Church
The bishops call the Church toward three things: conversion, communion, and solidarity. In the movement toward conversion, they call on Church members to lead and undergo a conversion of mind and heart, "confronting attitudes of cultural superiority, indifference, and racism" and accepting migrants as persons with dignity and rights (§40). In the movement toward communion, they insist that conversion leads to communion, which involves a serious spirit of hospitality (§41-42). Finally, in the movement toward solidarity, the bishops call on leaders of their local churches at all levels to lead the faithful in promoting justice, denouncing injustice, and put themselves on the line courageously defending the basic human rights of migrants (§43). The bishops go on to call for a comprehensive and collaborative pastoral response of the Church to migrants.Challenging public policy
The bishops call on society and public policy makers to do several things. First, the root causes of migration must be addressed. This, according to the bishops, is necessary in order to realize the right to find opportunity in one's homeland (§59). Thus, inequalities between the United States and Mexico must be addressed, and greater employment opportunities must be created in Mexico (§61). The document goes on to call for the creation of greater legal paths for migration. These legal pathways must include provisions to allow the reunion of families, allow for legalization of the undocumented, and create employment-based opportunities to allow the flow of laborers to maintain healthy economies (§64-77). Finally, the bishops insist that any enforcement policy must be humane, and employ tactics in accord with the migrant's human dignity (§78-91). This humane enforcement means granting due process rights (§92-94)Reception of the pastoral letter
In ''Strangers No Longer'', the bishops challenge the Church to be—in the words of ''Folk song based upon the pastoral letter
In 2005,External links