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Join us on March 24 for a thought-provoking, all-day event on “Catholic Social Teaching and Work with Migrants and Refugees at a Time of Uncertainty.” Co-sponsored by Jesuit Refugee Service/USA (JRS/USA) and the Center for Migration Studies of New York (CMS), this event will bring together leading experts to explore critical issues in migration and refugee policy.

Event Highlights

View conference videos here

Download event agenda here

This event will examine Catholic social teaching on migrants and refugees, offering both global and U.S.-focused perspectives during this time of transition and uncertainty. Interactive panels will explore:

• A special edition of the Journal on Migration and Human Security on the concept of freedom to migrate and stay
• The state of U.S. asylum and refugee programs
• U.S. immigration and refugee policies from a religious liberty perspective

Keynote Speakers

• His Eminence Robert Cardinal McElroy, Archdiocese of Washington, DC – Read full transcript here
• His Eminence Fabio Cardinal Baggio, CS, Vatican Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development – Read full transcript here

Additional speakers include: 

• Eleanor Acer, Senior Director, Global Humanitarian Protection, Human Rights First
• Antônio Lemos, S.T.L., Ph.D. Candidate, Moral Theology, University of Notre Dame – Read full transcript here
• Juan Chamorro, Hewlett Visiting Fellow for Public Policy, Kellogg Institute for International Studies
• Kevin Appleby, Senior Director, International Migration Policy, CMS
• David Hollenbach, S.J., Pedro Arrupe Distinguished Research Professor, Georgetown University
• Donald Kerwin, Vice-President for Advocacy, Research, and Partnerships, JRS/USA
• Mario Russell, Executive Director, CMS – Read full transcript here
• Kelly Ryan, President, JRS/USA
• Fr. Michael Petro, S.J., Project Director, Project Director, Migrant Worker Center, Jesuit Refugee Service, Lebanon
• Maria Prada Ramirez, Past Permanent Advisor to Francisco de Roux, S.J., the President of the Colombian Truth Commission, and Director of the Commission’s Partnerships and Alliances Office from 2018 to 2022
• Michelle Sardone, Deputy Director, Catholic Legal Immigration Network, Inc. (CLINIC)