Canonical regulations for emigrants. Structures and personnel in the pastoral activity of the Croatian diaspora

Iseljavanja, migracije i kretanje stanovništva u najširem smislu riječi, koji se događaju u proteklih nekoliko godina, stavljaju pred Crkvu velik izazov. Osnivanjem Dikasterija za promicanje cjelovitog ljudskog razvoja 2017. godine te već postojeći sustav Hrvatske inozemne pastve odgovor je Crkve u nastojanju da svim vjernicima pruži pastoralnu i dušobrižničku skrb. Ovaj rad nastoji prikazati osnovne crkvene dokumente i kanonske propise koji uređuju to područje djelovanja Crkve. U prvom dijelu nastoje se prikazati temeljni dokumenti Crkve o pastoralu iseljenika i danas aktualna uputa Erga migrantes caritas Christi – Kristova ljubav prema seliocima, koju je 2004. godine objavilo Papinsko vijeće za pastoral selilaca i putnika, tijelo Svete Stolice koje je 2017. godine preraslo u spomenuti Dikasterij. U drugome dijelu riječ je o strukturama u pastoralu iseljenika na razini partikularne Crkve koje se ogledaju u katoličkim misijama, zajednicama ili centrima s kapelanima na čelu. Važnu ulogu u pastoralu iseljenika imaju biskupske konferencije kojima je posvećen treći dio rada, a u posljednjem, četvrtom dijelu riječ je o Dikasteriju za promicanje cjelovitoga ljudskog razvoja zaduženom, između ostaloga, za pitanje iseljavanja i migracija na razini opće Crkve.Emigration, migration and population movements in the broadest sense of the word, which have occurred in the past few years, pose a great challenge to the Church. With the establishment of the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development in 2017, and the already existing system of Croatian Foreign Pastoral activity, the Church’s response is in its efforts to provide pastoral activity and pastoral care to all believers. This paper seeks to present the basic church documents and canonical regulations that regulate this area of the Church’s activity. The first part seeks to present the basic documents of the Church on the pastoral care of emigrants and the current instruction Erga migrantes caritas Christi – Christ’s Love for Migrants, published in 2004 by the Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Emigrants and Travelers, the section of the Holy See that became, in 2017, the abovementioned Dicastery. The second part deals with structures in the pastoral care of emigrants at the level of particular churches, which are reflected in Catholic missions, communities or centers headed by chaplains. A significant role in the pastoral care of emigrants is played by episcopal conferences, to which the third part of the work is dedicated. The fourth and last part deals with the Dicastery for the Promotion of Integral Human Development, responsible for emigration and migration at the general Church level