Unity in diversity is the vision that the bishops, as pastors of the Church in the United States, offer to their people as they welcome the new immigrants and refugees who come to our shores. In the past thirty-five years the number and variety of immigrants coming to the United States have provided a great challenge for us all.
Though a good number come as skilled workers and professionals,
the greater number come as
refugees and immigrants on the edge of survival;
large numbers join families already here;
others arrive without proper documents.
Many were forced to leave their homeland because of a well-founded fear of persecution.
This diversity of ethnicity, education, and social class challenges us to welcome these new immigrants and help them join our communities in ways that are respectful of their cultures and in ways that mutually enrich the immigrants and the receiving Church.