D. Fernando Paiva referred to the Alentejo song that “fills the soul”, said that the Church organization has "several situations that need special attention" and warned of the "ghettoization" of some groups.
The bishop of Beja said that the diocese has “structural issues” that “need to be taken care of”, warned of the existence of human trafficking networks, for the “ghettoization” of immigrant communities that, in certain areas, are “as many or more” than the residents.
“In some areas of the diocese it is already clear that those arriving are as many or more than the residents. So, what is happening, or it will happen very soon: we will become a minority in our own territory”, said D. Fernando Paiva in an interview with Agência ECCLESIA and Renascença.
The bishop of Beja warned of changes in terms of “religious configuration”, not just “in purely demographic terms”.
“The figure of the non-practitioner is very strong, It's very current. While Asians, be it Muslims, sics, hindus, and even Catholics who come, who end up being a minority, have a different attitude towards the sacred. The figure of the non-practitioner is not very common among these people, in these people who are arriving in our territory like this”, said.
For D. Fernando Paiva, referred to social transformation in the territory, namely in the city of Beja, where “people who come mainly from Asia are already a very significant presence”.
“When we passed by the street, we see a lot of people, even because, as people who often live in precarious housing situations, It ends up happening that when they are not at home sleeping, they are on the street.”, said.
Fernando Paiva denounced situations of precarious housing, promoted by people who find “extra income” in these situations, and pointed to a “very concerted action with several actors”, capable of preventing labor exploitation.
“I think that it is not always possible to do everything that would be necessary, at the level, for example, monitoring working conditions, which is a very important topic, the issue also of housing conditions, even up to labor legislation”, said D. Fernando Paiva, pointing to legislative imbalances in seasonal work situations.
“There is a lot of joint work here and the police forces, because there are situations of labor exploitation, also networks, that it can be said that they are actually human trafficking”
The bishop of Beja warned of “a certain ghettoization” of migrant communities, many do not know how to speak Portuguese.
“We see a lot of people, many Asians who come and circulate, and sometimes there is a certain phenomenon there that causes some concern, a certain ghettoization. Because they are people who come, Many of them don't speak our language, and circuits are created there, even with its own stores, and are left in a situation where there is less, or, in some cases, there is almost no integration”, said.
In the weekly interview with Agência ECCLESIA and Renascença, D. Fernando Paiva valued the role of Cáritas and IPSS, “not only in this issue of immigrants, as well as others”, stating that they play “a very important role”.
About the presence of the Catholic Church in the territory of the Diocese of Beja, D. Fernando Paiva spoke of a “very diverse reality” and “several situations that need special attention”.
“The Church serves to evangelize, to celebrate faith, to help those most in need, are the three great functions of the Church, wherever you are, but then there are structural issues that also need to be taken care of, namely more administrative issues, at the level of asset management, also at the level of organization of the archives”, pointed.
The bishop of Beja also referred to communication as a topic that “interests developing and improving”, taking steps to take care of communication, “either internally, as well as externally”.
Fernando Paiva also valued, the Alentejano song, marking the tenth anniversary of the elevation to intangible heritage of humanity, as a means “that must be well used”.
“The depth of that Alentejo song that fills the soul is very beautiful”, said,
Fernando Paiva will spend the Christmas season as Bishop of Beja for the first time, after having started pastoral work in the territory on the day 7 July this year, taking advantage of celebrations and meetings to “get to know the various communities”.
