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Plymouth: Bishop O'Toole shares his own migrant story


Bishop Mark O'Toole

Bishop Mark O'Toole

In a talk given on a 'Share the Journey' day, which took place at Buckfast Abbey, on Saturday, 5th May, Bishop Mark O'Toole, the Catholic Bishop of Plymouth, shared his experience of growing up in London, the son of Irish-speaking parents, who had migrated to Britain in the 1950's.

Bishop Mark told the several hundred people attending the day:

"I know something of the experience of exile; what it means to grow up in an environment where there can be prejudice on the basis of where you come from, and of how easily, or not, you speak English. My mother integrated extremely well, my father less so, as he never felt completely comfortable in 'English-only' environments. Yet they made a good life here."

The Bishop expressed his love and appreciation for Britain, "its rich history, its commitment to democracy and pluralism, within a Judaeo-Christian heritage; its sense of justice and a pragmatic approach to life, as well as its rich history in the rule of law, in fairness and a belief in a level playing field." He went on to note that "this has shaped who I am", as well as his love for his "inherited roots in Ireland and all that Irish culture, language and music continues to hold for me."

Whilst recognising "the legitimate place of Government and the particular task given to politicians to look concretely at a balanced immigration policy, given the realities of austerity and some particular economic constraints", Bishop Mark encouraged the Diocese of Plymouth to take to heart, Pope Francis' "call to a culture of encounter between people on the move and host communities." Drawing on the long Biblical, Magisterial and Social Teaching of the Catholic Church, he encouraged all present "to be prepared to put our heads above the parapet and gently and unthreateningly share our passion for those in need." He remarked, that "none of us wants an isolationist, closed-in society, where strangers are not welcome and where the richness that others can bring is lacking or not shared."

Bishop Mark urged prayer and support for the establishment of Caritas Plymouth and announced the appointment of a Diocesan Caritas Development Officer, "to co-ordinate and support efforts to assist children and families in difficulty, to support the homeless, to support migrants and refugees, and to support the elderly and isolated".

'Share the Journey' is an initiative promoted by Pope Francis in which he invites host communities to meet with and listen to the stories of individual migrants and communities.

As well as Bishop Mark, there were speakers from CAFOD and the Jesuit Refugee Service at the 'Share the Journey' day.

Caritas Plymouth is a new initiative in the Diocese of Plymouth to co-ordinate the Diocese's outreach projects, and to give support and guidance to local initiatives in parishes. It will be part of the national network, Catholic Social Action Network, and in response to Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI's call in the Motu Proprio entitled, On the Service of Charity (2012), for a Diocese to properly co-ordinate its charitable outreach, and to give it a properly Christian foundation.

The establishment of a local Caritas in Plymouth is also a response to Pope Francis' invitation, following the Year of Mercy, for a suitable legacy in every Catholic Diocese, which would show forth the Church's 'works of mercy'.

The full text of Bishop Mark's talk follows:

I want to thank you all for being here today. I am pleased that the Catholic community here in the Diocese is hosting this event. I thank all those who have helped prepare the day, especially Simon Giarchi, Mary Conway, CAFOD volunteers, and others; it is good to see that different individuals and groups have come together in this way.

You will know that Pope Francis initiated "Share the journey" last autumn. The heart of it is to listen to the stories of migrants and refugees. In his recent Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate (Rejoice and be Glad), Pope Francis reminds us that the only proper attitude of the Christian is "to stand in the shoes of these brothers and sisters."The hope is that in "standing in the shoes" of others, we can recognise that we all share a common humanity. We are all created in the image and likeness of God. Therefore, every person has an innate dignity.

I also have to recognise my own limitations and a particular bias in approaching our theme. For I am a son of migrants. My parents came separately to Britain from the West of Ireland in the 1950's. My father came for economic reasons, as a 16 year old, one of fourteen siblings who followed his older brothers, to find work and seek a more stable economic environment.

My mother came for health reasons - two of her sisters had died from TB in their teenage years - and her family sent her here in order to improve her health. Mum and Dad met and married as part of the Irish-speaking community, in London, and my brothers and I grew up there between two other significant migrant groups in North London - the Hasidic Jewish community of Stamford Hill, many of whom had come from Eastern Europe, and the Afro-Caribbean community of Stoke Newington, many of whom were part of the Windrush Generation.

On our high road you could very quickly walk past homes where the chanting of the ancient Jewish she'ma Prayer ("Hear oh Israel the Lord, our God, is One") was being prayed, to homes which listened to the beat of Bob Marley chanting "No Woman, no cry". So I know something of the experience of exile; what it means to grow up in an environment where there can be prejudice on the basis of where you come from, and of how easily, or not, you speak English. My mother integrated extremely well, my father less so, as he never felt completely comfortable in 'English-only' environments. Yet they made a good life here.

As I grew up, I came to love and appreciate Britain - its rich traditions, its commitment to democracy and pluralism, within a Judaeo-Christian heritage; its sense of justice and a pragmatic approach to life, as well as its rich history in the rule of law, in fairness and a belief in a level playing field. All of this has shaped who I am, alongside a deep love for my inherited roots in Ireland and all that Irish culture, language and music continues to hold for me.

I remember an elderly religious sister saying to me, when I was a young man, "Never forget your roots". It is so important for each of us, as part of our identity, to remember where we have come from. In this sense, I want to give thanks for the fact that Britain has been, and indeed in many ways still is - despite difficulties, tensions and struggles - a place which welcomes strangers. Britain, at its best, still strives to be a place where different stories can be heard against a backdrop of a very rich cultural, religious and social story of its own.

Certainly our Catholic parishes and communities have continued to be blessed by the arrival of newer migrants, and I give thanks to God for them.I also stand before you as a religious leader, moulded and shaped by a particular faith, with a set of insights and outlooks which shapes how I approach a day such as this. Having said this, I do want to recognise the legitimate place of Government and the particular task given to politicians to look concretely at a balanced immigration policy, given the realities of austerity and some particular economic constraints.

Although, to a large degree, a son of economic migrants myself, I recognise the distinctions that policy makers identify between asylum seekers, refugees and economic migrants, even if, I have to say, I do not always understand why refugees seeking asylum from troubled parts of Africa or Iraq, or other war-torn parts of the globe, are not treated in the same way as refugees from Syria, for example. I believe we must have a particular open-ness in our country to children who are in need of stability, security and settlement. Leaving children in situations of risk or danger surely cannot be accepted by a civilised society.But let me come back to my own faith tradition, for there listening to the story of the migrant, welcoming the stranger, is a golden thread weaving through the pages of the Old and New Testaments. It also finds a place in the Social and Magisterial teaching of the Pope's. It is a core value. I want to concentrate on the rich Biblical experience, most especially. It has stimulated and shaped, not only the Christian response, but has also provided the fundamental impetus for the emergence of key ideas in human rights legislation and in universal declarations on the dignity of migrant peoples.The culture of the Old Testament was, of course, very different to our own. It was deeply influenced by the geography in which people lived. As people trekked through the land, the conditions were arid and quite inhospitable. There were no Premier Inns and Travel Lodges with 'Hypnos' beds to stop over for the night.

Because there were no McDonalds or Costa's as you travelled this nomadic environment, where could you seek hospitality and find a welcome? Well, only in the houses and encampments of others. Travellers relied on the kindness of strangers and welcoming strangers was taken seriously, for Israel herself had her origins as a wandering people. "If a stranger stays with you…you must count him as your own countryman and love him as yourself - for you were once strangers yourselves in Egypt" (Lev19.33-34).

In many ways, one of the key texts of the faithful Jew, a text in which I find a very deep personal resonance, was that from the Book of Deuteronomy, "My father was a wandering Aramean…" (Deut 26:5)The vision of "welcome" enshrined in the Law of the Lord and expected from the people of Israel is pictured beautifully and eloquently in Abraham and Sarah's welcome of the three mysterious visitors who come to them by the oak of Mamre. This scene is depicted in the Book of Genesis, Chapter 18. There, the "father" of the nation - Abraham - models the kind of hospitality expected from the entire nation and enshrined in the Law. There are some things that we encounter in this mysterious event that provide us with a kind of 'model' for our own welcoming and how we share the stranger's story.

Three things stand out:

• Firstly, Abraham is depicted as running from his tent door to welcome these visitors. Neither he nor Sarah were spring chickens! It is a somewhat comical, but beautiful image, as they, in their mature years, were obviously enthusiastically eager to welcome these strangers.

• Secondly, Abraham washed their feet. To wash someone's feet at that time, was no symbolic action; it was unpleasant, smelly and a deeply humble service.

• Thirdly, Abraham's welcome was deeply generous involving the gift of three bushels of flour, the best calf, curds, honey and milk - a veritable banquet. Obviously they were not worried about any food allergies! There are many, many references throughout the Old Testament that back up and emphasise the hospitality shown at Mamre. This vision continues seamlessly in the pages of the New Testament and in the Teaching of the Catholic Church.

In the New Testament, the word for hospitality literally means "love of strangers". It is, as we have seen, a virtue specifically commanded by God and wholly relevant to a 'people on the move'. The baby Jesus was himself a child at risk, a refugee, fleeing persecution from a despotic tyrant seeking his execution. Mary and Joseph had to escape with him into Egypt. Jesus knew what rejection was; "he came to his own domain and his own people did not accept him" (John 1.11), we hear poignantly in St John's Gospel.

During his public ministry, Jesus and his disciples seemed to have depended almost entirely on the hospitality and welcome of others as they moved from town to town. They were itinerants. Yet they found various places where they were able to share their story. St Paul and those who worked with him in the early task of evangelisation seem to have done the same. The Gospel spread precisely because certain individuals and communities were willing to open their hearts and their homes to receive the incredible story being told. Like the travellers of old, those earliest missionaries and evangelists depended on the welcome of others as they traversed what was sometimes very dangerous terrain. There was, however, an Inn on the road from Jerusalem to Jericho! The parable of the Good Samaritan has many echoes of the scene at Mamre.

The Gospels are peppered with examples of the centrality of "welcome" and hospitality. Many of the parables and miracles of Jesus have this as their theme. That, of course, should not surprise us, for it is the great commandment of the people of Israel and the people of the new Israel, too, and so is a central tenet of our Christian faith:
"…you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength….and you must love your neighbour as yourself. There is no commandment greater than these" (Mk 12.29-30). Hospitality, Jesus tells us, characterises those who will inherit the Kingdom: "for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me" (Mt 25.35). In the face of the stranger we encounter the face of Christ. We hear His story and that becomes life-giving Good News for us as anew we participate in His Death and Resurrection. It will not surprise you to know, that this biblical attitude is mirrored in the Social Teaching of the Catholic Church, and in the teaching of our Pope's, which I know others will be touching on, in their presentations.

We need only look to the living witness that Pope Francis has given to this, and in which he stands in continuity with the teaching of those Pope's who have gone before him. In the light of our Biblical witness, and in light of the call to a culture of encounter between people on the move and host communities,

I would stress three simple points:

• Firstly, we should be ready to take the initiative - to go out of our way to welcome others and listen to their stories. Abraham ran to meet his visitors. Jesus did not wait for those in need to come to him; he went and sought them out. Where are the strangers where we live? Where are they to be found? Are we bothered enough to find out? How can we meet them? Where can we help them find friendship?

• Secondly, this may not always be easy or pleasant. There are some very unpleasant bunkers and places on Plymouth Hoe where many people sleep rough and where Street Pastors do sterling work. It is the same in other cities and towns. Both Jesus and Abraham washed smelly feet. Jesus was at home with lepers, with rotting flesh and with some very colourful people, no doubt with colourful language, whom others would cross the road to avoid. Foodbanks, Street Pastors, Soup runs, Homeless shelters, Outreach projects to migrants - they all bring us into contact with smelly, humble service, echoing the service of the Good Samaritan. This is the invitation. Are we prepared to be jogged out of our comfort zones in order to be present in these places and to listen to the stranger's story? If we do not know much about these initiatives, are we ready to find out?

• Thirdly, many of our communities are deeply generous in their support of those agencies that provide food and shelter and hope. There are also those with some knowledge of social services, of the legal, medical and education system, and where help and professional advice can be sought. Is that something that any of us can help with? In the Diocese of Plymouth, we are in the process of establishing a Caritas Plymouth to assist in coordinating and supporting this outreach, and we have recently appointed a Development Officer for this area of work - Zoe Oldman.

The focus of Caritas Plymouth will be to co-ordinate and support efforts to assist children and families in difficulty, to support the homeless, to support migrants and refugees, and to support the elderly and isolated. At this point we are engaged in mapping what is taking place in the Diocese and I ask your prayer and support for this initiative. The fact that you are here today speaks for itself. You really do want to share the journey of others and to welcome the stranger.

Much of what you will see and hear today, will no doubt motivate you or rather re-motivate you. Perhaps the challenge is to try to motivate others, to be prepared to put our heads above the parapet and gently and unthreateningly share our passion for those in need. None of us wants an isolationist, closed-in society, where strangers are not welcome and where the richness that others can bring is lacking or not shared. Jesus said "Come to me, all you who labour and are overburdened and I will give you rest. Shoulder my yoke and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. Yes, my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Matthew 11). It would be wonderful if we were able to say this to others, by the welcome that we give, and by listening deeply to their stories.

Thank you. +Mark O'Toole

Bishop of Plymouth




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