The Aparecida bishops see ministry to migrants as a “specific ministry” for dioceses and conferences. How can smaller communities assist in this?
412. The Church as mother must experience itself as a Church without borders, family Church, attentive to the growing phenomenon of human mobility in its diverse sectors. She believes that it is crucial to develop a mindset and spirituality for the pastoral service of brothers and sisters on the move, setting up appropriate national and diocesan structures to facilitate the encounter between the foreigner and the welcoming particular church. Bishops Conferences and dioceses must prophetically assume this specific ministry, whose thrust must be that of combining criteria and actions that can be helpful for ongoing care for migrants, who themselves should also become disciples and missionaries.
For deeper examination, an English translation of the 2007 document from the Aparecida Conference.
Catholic Sensibility 