“As monastics, we strive to listen to the longings of the world ‘with the ear of our heart.’” Sometimes this means letting ourselves be torn open to recognize our own complicity in the pain and alienation of others because of personal choices we have made to benefit from systems of exclusion. If we let ourselves be opened, we will recognize the power we have to overcome the fear that separates us from one another. Then we can believe the vision set out by Jesus, who made room for everyone at the table.”
–Wisdom From the Tradition: A Statement of North American Benedictine Women in Response to Our Time
The Benedictine Women at Holy Wisdom Monastery, in solidarity with the Leadership Conference of Women Religious (LCWR) call for the humane treatment of migrants from Central American who are fleeing violence and seeking asylum in the United States (US).
We join LCWR in urging the administration in this country to manage refugee arrivals humanely and in a manner that respects their dignity and rights under US and international law, and to:
- Allow migrants to approach the border and ask for protection in the United States, and to be admitted for processing in a timely manner.
- Ensure that asylum seekers have access to legal counsel and receive a fair resolution of their claim.
- Guarantee that parents and children stay together after they are apprehended. Holding families indefinitely in detention or detaining parents while releasing their children violates the values of the United States and the standards set forth in the Flores settlement.*
- Abstain from detention of those awaiting adjudication of their asylum petitions in favor of alternatives that are more humane and more cost-efficient.
- Direct Homeland Security to cooperate with faith-based and humanitarian organizations who are prepared to assist asylum-seekers.
For further information, read LCWR’s public statement calling for the welcome and humane treatment of arriving migrants.
“We have come to understand that hospitality is a sacred duty and trust. It is God whom we receive, whether in the person of a stranger or a well-beloved friend.”
–Wisdom From the Tradition: A Statement of North American Benedictine Women in Response to Our Time