Hospitality and Disruption: The Church as Sanctuary

Abstract

The interpretive lens of John Duns Scotus’ notion of haecceitas (“this-ness”) can aid in understanding the obligation to be in right relationship with migrants. A well-developed theology that includes a mutual recognition of persons can help bring about a transformative relationship with those who have been cast as “the other.” The increasing numbers, danger and appification of global migrants and migration pathways—especially when coupled with scapegoating and anti-immigrant rhetoric in the context of nationalistic movements in multiple countries—require a response that expresses our relationality and interconnectedness. The International Organization for Migration estimates that one in every thirty people are international migrants. Many migration patterns and processes have emerged out of intersecting factors that include economics, social and cultural dynamics, demographics, safety, ease of movement and geography. This chapter examines the strengths and weaknesses of several helping images, including hospitality, welcoming and sanctuary, all of which are insufficient when taken alone. Drawing on the Franciscan intellectual tradition, the author proposes an incarnational solidarity that goes beyond hospitality and welcoming.