Perspectief 2017-36

Perspectief 8 Werk van jonge theologen Chapter 1: Roman Catholic responses In this chapter, the Roman Catholic Church’s relation to forced migrants will be explored from multiple perspectives, starting with the Magisterium. Since its dawn in the late 19 th century Catholic social teaching has provided a moral compass for Catholic lay people, religious and clergy on a wide variety of topics, including forced migration. The sheer volume of teaching on the issue of migration requires us to look at a well-considered selection of the most leading papal encyclicals, homilies and speeches. The most recent contributor to Catholic social teaching is Pope Francis, for whom the refugee crisis has become one of the most significant topics of his pontificate. Because many of his words and writings relate to the current refugee crisis we will discuss his views in more detail. We will then proceed to the works of three leading Catholic theologians – Romano Guardini, Daniel Groody and Charles Taylor – whose writings can provide insight into the refugee crisis from different perspectives. While Guardini is a theologian and philosopher who has written, amongst other topics, on theological anthropology, Groody is a priest who has provided pastoral care for refugees, and finally Taylor is a respected Catholic philosopher. Lastly we will look at the voices of Catholics who are neither responsible for the formulation of Catholic social teaching nor have written or spoken on the topic in an academic context, yet exert considerable influence on the societal debate on the refugee crisis. 1. Catholic social teaching The Roman Catholic Church expresses a preferential option for forced migrants, which is clearly rooted in the Old Testament tradition, particularly in the fate of the people of