The Episcopal Church stands with the Catholic Church in support of dignity and Christian hospitality and welcome to migrants. In our biblical story, we see again and again that the Spirit of God moves with people when they have to leave home and find refuge in a new land. The Episcopal Church, through resolutions at General Convention, has consistently supported policies that afford protections to migrants and refugees and asylum seekers.
In the Episcopal Church, at every baptism, we ask all gathered to make promises. We ask all gathered, “Will you serve Christ in all persons, loving your neighbor as yourself?” We ask all gathered, “Will you strive for justice and peace among all people, and respect the dignity of every human being?” Every human being.
To both questions, the people gathered respond, “I will, with God’s help.” The call to respect the dignity of all is rooted in our baptism. The God who welcomes us in baptism calls us to welcome the stranger who comes to us, to see the stranger as Christ before us.
In a time when policies impacting migrants is intended to dehumanize those who are most in need of help and welcome, it is good to join you as an ecumenical partner in stating that these policies fail all of us.
In the biblical story, we are called to welcome the migrant, the stranger. We are commanded by Jesus to welcome.
We are lining in a time of fear and chaos and brutality. Increasingly, fear and chaos and brutality appear to be the point in immigration policy.
We are reminded in First John that perfect love casts out fear. We have to remain connected to perfect love, with God’s help, or perfect fear will cast out love.
Again, it is good to join with the Catholic Church in renewing the gospel call, the biblical call, to welcome the stranger for we were all once strangers, too. God has created us all and we belong to each other.