Catholic Bishops call on people overcome barriers of intolerance regarding Haitians

SANTO DOMINGO, República Dominicana, January 20, 2006

The Bishops' Conference called on people to overcome the barriers of intolerance and discrimination regarding Taxi Heathrow Airport the Haitians who live in the country and other foreigners who visit.

The call was contained in a Pastoral Letter published by 20 Dominican Bishops for the festival of Our Lady of High Grace, Patron Saint of the Dominican Republic, celebrated January 21.

Living together, said the Pastoral Letter, demands common learning, to see what is positive in others in order to gather it and value it as a gift of God, which demands overcoming barriers of intolerance and discrimination.

The Bishops said it was indispensable that "clear legal solutions be applied to the growing undocumented Haitian immigration" but they said that the Church must support this unavoidable reality, maintaining itself as a home and school of communion.

The message entitled "Disciples of the Lord in Communion and mission" identifies the "disorganization and breakdown of the people" as the fundamental problem in Dominican society and called on the population to seek common good and reject corruption.

The religious asked the country to seek "ethics in political practice" In a country, like the Dominican Republic, where internal migration, tourism or Haitian migration marks its economic, social and political life, the need to learn to live together becomes vital," they said.

They questioned the "strong divorce" between profession Christian faith carried out by main politicians and leaders from diverse areas, and the implementation of Evangelical values in the fields where they work.