'Love the Stranger' presents a Catholic response to refugees and migrants. It is a 2023 document of the Department for International Affairs.
Love the Stranger places the human being at the heart of our pastoral outreach, looking beyond statistics and policies to the person – each with a name, a face and a story.
The document offers 24 guiding principles and has been endorsed by the Holy See, COMECE, CAFOD, CSAN and Caritas Social Action Network members.
The main sections of the publication are:
Foreword, Principles, Introduction, A global perspective, The right to flourish in one’s homeland, The right to migrate, Equality and human dignity, Human trafficking and slavery, The gift of migration, Concluding reflection
Bishop Declan Lang, Chair of the Department for International Affairs, and Bishop Paul McAleenan, Lead Bishop for Migrants and Refugees provide the foreword to 'Love the Stranger'.
Understanding the universal context of Catholic social teaching on migrants and refugees.
Our responsibility to address the factors driving people from their homes.
Recognising that all people are made in the image of God, regardless of where they come from or their legal status.
Confronting the evils of human trafficking and slavery in today’s world.
People have a right to seek a fulfilled life outside their homeland, especially if they are unable to live in dignity there.
This section offers the 24 guiding principles of 'Love the Stranger ' in video form with prayer intentions.