Bishop at Migrants' Mass calls for regularisation

Rt Rev Patrick Lynch, the Catholic bishop in charge of migration matters, gave the homily at Monday’s Mass for Migrants at Westminster Cathedral. You can listen to it and read it here – congratulations to Eddie at Archbishop’s House for fab communications.

Bishop Patrick said many interesting and challenging things that were picked up in this Press Association report by its religion correspondent, Martha Linden.

On regularisation, Bishop Pat gave a categoric, explicit endorsement of the Strangers into Citizens call. We are profoundly grateful – not least because he puts it so beautifully:

The Church is concerned for all workers - documented and undocumented. A migrant’s legal status is quite separate from his or her human dignity. A human being’s worth is defined by their God given dignity, not by the papers they do or do not carry. There is clear moral case that undocumented workers who have lived and worked in this country for five years or more should be given the opportunity to build a future in the United Kingdom and continue to contribute to British society. You have worked here: your children have been born here and attend school here: you are part of our parishes and our society here and a way should be found so that you can remain here.