In a communiqué issued after their annual meeting last autumn, the archbishops and bishops of Canada have drawn the attention of Christians to the problem of immigration. In publishing this document, their thought was first of all for Canada where the policy of racial restriction in immigration recently put into force is much criticised by Catholics, but, in its general and doctrinal character, their communiqué is applicable in a much wider field:

‘Immigration is a social fact with many aspects.

The Church does not pronounce upon technical questions concerning immigration, but she reminds all that immigration is subject to laws of morality on which legislators should base their decrees:

1. 1. The separation of families is a deplorable and disastrous condition of affairs; it is the duty of public and private organisations to make an immediate and constant effort to reunite families, when one member has already obtained permission to enter a particular country—and this especially if it is the head of the family who has done so;

2. 2. Since God has put the earth at the disposal of mankind, those countries which have unoccupied land have the duty of favouring the immigration of the inhabitants of over-populated countries;

3. 3. The policy which directs immigration services must be truly democratic and any procedure which would arbitrarily exclude citizens of a nation with a surplus population from entering the country, or refugees from a country undergoing political or religious persecution, would be contrary to the principle of true peace.’

This firm stand is echoed by a declaration of Mgr Antoniutti, Apostolic Delegate in Canada. This important statement, from which we quote, stresses the fact that the problem of migrations is perhaps the most important social problem of our time:

‘It is not the problem of the poor of which I am going to speak to you, that problem which haunted the warm-hearted St Vincent de Paul, to quote one name alone.