Migration: On some

moral issues that

affect family life
 Outline
I. Introduction
II. Historical
development
III. Biblical accounts
IV. Migration
phenomenon
V. Moral evaluation
VI. Church
response
VII. conclusion
VIII. Bibliography
Introduction
II. Historical Development
Illegal immigrants in Europe
III. The Biblical Accounts:
*The call of Abraham from the land of Ur to Canaan
(Gen. 12:1-4)

*Jacob’s family flight to Egypt

(Gen. 46:1-27)
*The Exodus *The story of Ruth
(Ex. 13:17-22) (Ruth 1:1-22)

*The flight of the Holy Family into Egypt

(Mt 2:13-15)
 IV. Migration phenomenon
Definition of terms:
Migration- an act of people to live one
country or region to settle or
work for a certain period of time.

Immigration- an act of people to live one

country or region to settle or work
over a period of time.
Causes:
 Urbanization

 Modernization

 Ultimate Values
-Structural sins (graft and corruption)

-self interest/individualisms
-capitalist values
-pluralism
 The effects:

• wide spread poverty

• injustice
• exploitation of both people
and natural resources
• violation of human rights
The shift from the rural to urban living
Exposes migrants to a new worldview:

1. In rural life, association are often

intimate, bound together by year s of
interlacing family and village traditions.

2. cities, however, tend to poster

impersonal relationship that are based
on commodity exchange.
 Classifications:
 Local migration
 Regional (Asian)
 Continental
Four Distinct Forms of Migration:
 Permanent migration
 refugees
 Professionals, managers and technicians
 Contract migration
Local migration
Regional Migration: (Asian Diaspora)
 Cause of regional migration
Economic recession
Major form of migratory movement in Asia is:

Contract migration
 Characteristics of
Contract Migration in Asia

1.Short term contracts

2.Recruitment process
3.Decreasing profitability
4.Migration selectivity
5.Feminization
6.Poor working condition
 Living conditions of workers
and families

1. No security of tenure
2. Constant relocation
3. Disintegration of the family
4. Constant fighting in their homes due to lack of money
5. Basic necessities are not met
6. Low self-steem
7. Children not going to school and forced to help
working for the family

( survey by Urban Missionaries Foundation, Inc.)

 V. Moral valuation

1. The explosion of Filipino

“forced" migration – result
from a world economic
system.
2. The demand of workers,
particularly in the small
industries in Asia.
3. The host country benefit most from the productivity
of migrant workers
4. The hard work and sacrifices of OFW bring
improvement to the quality of life in their family.
5. The situation of Filipino women in migration is even
more vulnerable.
6. They are the particular target of illegal recruitment
and face physical and verbal abuse abroad.
7. Migration has serious impact on the Filipino migrant.
Family reunification is a common difficulty in
Asia.
8. Returning migrants experience difficulties in their
reintegration process.
 VI. The Church’s response
•Through the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care
of Migrants and Itinerant people
• In its letter “ The Church on the Move”, which
states that. “A similar inclinations leads
Her today to leaven the reality of
immigration with the Gospel and if
possible, to make it means for fulfilling
her mission.”

• If the migrant workers is to become truly

evangelizing, it is crucial that one be first
be evangelized through proper faith
formation, through worship and the
participation in the sacraments.
• Integral evangelization requires that we
become witnesses in our lives to the
values and norms of the Gospel based on
our baptismal consecration.

• It is thus the responsibility of the Church of

Origin, to not only prepare the Migrants
but also to ensure that proper legislation
has been set up to protect the dignity and
Rights of all.
 Other pastoral concern:

 People empowerment
 Social value system
 The many cries of anguish of the pastoral workers,
who are daily confronted with very serious problems
related to marital infidelity and children born outside
wedlock, are concerns that need to be urgently
brought to the attention of the Church of Origin.

 Pastoral care cannot be restricted to only the

Administration of the sacraments but also insuring that
Attempt Have to be made to understanding the causes
behind the numerous the Dehumanizing concerns related
to migration and migrant Workers.

 There is a very urgent need to take seriously the

Implications of migration on marriage and family life.
The social, spirituals and moral implication need urgent
Assessment by all.
 VII. Conclusion

•The diffusion of civilization really occurs even to

the present time and very much evident in migration.

•Trying to filled up the basic necessity of one’s

family whatever it may cause to survive.
•Cannot really ignore
the phenomenon of
modern migration.

•What ever happens

always look at the
brighter side of life.

•The Church fulfills her

pastoral obligations.
 Books
Bibliography Flannery, Austin, O.P. Vatican Council II: The Councillar andPost
Councillar Documents. NY:Costello Publishing Co.,1975.

John Paul II,Pope. Encyclical Letter: Veritatis Splendor.

Vatican:Vatican Press, 1993.

Gula, Richard. Reason Informed by Faith: Foundation of Catholic

Morality. New York: Paulist Press, 1989.

Haring, Bernard. Free and Faithful in Christ: Moral Theology for Priest
and Laity Australia: St. Paul Publication, 1979.

Journals
People on the Move. Migration: Points of Reference for the Christian,
Vol. 26, 1997.

People on the Move. The Migrants Plight at the end of the Second
Millennium, Vol. 28, 1999.

Other sources
Miller, Donald, The Church in the City: A mediating and catalytic
agent for social change

CBCP Monitor, Catechizes, Our people and the sacred heart of

Jesus, vol. VIII no.13, June 27,2004