“A child had to flee to a distant foreign land to escape from the murderous hands of Herod. When we see migrants arriving in our country, we have to think of what Mary and Joseph with the Child have gone through”. The Dutch Bishops wrote this in a long letter addressed to “all citizens, particularly parishes and faith communities”. Based on our Christian belief that “the Lord Himself comes to us through every person in need, asking for our help, for our generosity in providing care and assistance”, the Bishops are worried about “the current attitude towards migrants and the asylum debate” in the Netherlands. “Slogans, prejudices and generalisations do not help us move forward. And violence and abuse are unacceptable”. Assisting every person and protecting social coexistence must go hand in hand. This is why there is a need to “hold an honest debate on diversities”, because “positive coexistence is a common responsibility for all of us, including migrants”. Recalling the Year of Mercy and Pope Francis’ invitations, the Bishops also stressed “the great responsibility of the international community”, and urged Dutch communities to show hospitality in various forms and in a spirit of cooperation with the many bodies already active in this area.