Seven specific and detailed points to build a vision of an inclusive and supportive civil community: this is the new agenda signed by the Salesians of Italy, together with the other Christian bodies involved in various capacities in the field of migration.
Seven points that draw inspiration from the constant appeals of Pope Francis to welcome, protect, promote, integrate migrants and refugees and that recall the 20 points proposed by the Dicastery for the Promotion of the Integral Human Development of the Vatican for the drafting of the so-called "Global Compact", the agreement on migrants and refugees to be adopted by the UN in 2018.
In concrete terms, the requests of the Catholic associations to the political world concern: the reform of the law on citizenship, new ways of entering Italy, regularization on an individual basis of "rooted" foreigners, the repeal of the crime of illegal immigration, extension of the "Protection System for Asylum Seeker and Refugee Applicants"(SPRAR), enhancement and dissemination of good practices, effective participation in democratic life.
Seven points on which the various parties in the forthcoming general election on March 4 are inevitably called upon to express themselves.
Fr Giovanni D'Andrea, President of "Salesiani per il Sociale", also spoke at the press conference to present the agenda. He reiterated the urgent need to create a proper culture dealing with the migratory phenomenon, beyond the stereotypes fed by the media. He presented various cases of good practice carried out by the Sons of Don Bosco through their first- and second-level reception facilities for unaccompanied foreign minors and numerous other integration projects.
"As Salesians, we have 1,079 young people in civil service, 29 of whom are asylum seekers and refugees," he said.
The migration agenda, with a detailed description of the seven points, is available here.
