“Do not forget to practice hospitality, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.” (Hebrews 13:2)
Regional Challenges for Sanctuary
When discussing sanctuary in response to migration, even advocating welcome can reinforce a vision of the U.S. as exceptional in its capacity for hospitality, freedom, and prosperity.
Similarly, dividing countries into “origin”, “transit,” and “destination” countries strays dangerously close to ontological categorization beyond specific references to individual cases. While they can be helpful in some contexts, they are problematized as destinations continue diversifying, migrants become “stuck in motion,” [1] and return migration increases, whether voluntary or forced. These flawed foundations give rise to insufficient frameworks, policies, programs, and even theologies for addressing human mobility.
In light of these realities, how do we have conversations around hospitality and sanctuary that do not reinforce these dynamics with the United States or other “destination countries” as uniquely responsible or qualified to provide this sanctuary? How does a different kind of international solidarity impact the work of our churches, communities, and other faith-based organizations?
I propose values of philoxenía and hermandad as orienting principles for a Christian practice of hospitality and sanctuary. These relationships are born out of intercultural relationships that are both interpersonal and political in nature, bringing us together for a comprehensive Christian praxis that does not fall into idolatry and reframes our theological reading of geopolitical realities of human mobility.
Philoxenía and Hermandad
Philoxenía is usually translated as hospitality (e.g. Hebrews 13), often reducing this to receiving company. Inspired by ethicist Christine Pohl’s research into the rich tradition of Christian hospitality that goes beyond entertaining guests to include shelter, support, and sharing of meals with all travelers and others in need [2], Jesuit Alberto Ares advocates for a hospitality that leads us to conversion and eventually salvation [3]. In Hebrews 13:2, Paul draws on the story of Abraham receiving angels who then share a message of blessing: they will have a child and their descendants will be blessed. This blessing is a prototype for how the act of hospitality opens us to the “possibility to recognize the Lord and reach salvation” [4]. Philoxenía, then, is both a spiritual posture and the act which arises out of the recognition of the xenos as also a philos, a dear one or loved one. This blends the more popular understanding of hospitality as welcoming friends and family (the philoi) with the welcome for those in need or coming from abroad (the xenoi). This is not just entertaining guests; it is also the deep relationship by which the xenos does not become the same as us, but becomes dear to us (philos) while preserving their own identity.
This kind of philoxenía is more of an intercultural solidarity that leads to individual, social and cultural transformation. Jesuit theologian José Luis Miranda engages the theological underpinnings of this solidarity as he expands on Pope Francis’s exhortations to fraternity (though I prefer hermandad [5]). He objects to any siblinghood beyond universal hermandad because all other communities based on ethnicity, country of origin, or even religious/spiritual tradition risks becoming “absolutized” and discriminatory to others. Philoxenía and hermandad illuminate paths to conversion that inspire us to embrace the practice of sanctuary beyond emergency support, but holistic support for one another born out of mutuality that embraces diversity rather than falling into xenophobia or any kind of community dependent on exclusion.
Implications for a Sanctuary rooted in Philoxenía and Hermandad
In these ways, philoxenía and hermandad can orient relationships and praxis, especially in hospitality and sanctuary. These relationships inspire engagement in the mutual struggle for liberation and furnishing ethical and philosophical tools to better receive our neighbor and work together for justice.
First, support rooted in these values should reflect horizontality, mutuality, and relationship through volunteer-led initiatives and even professionalized programs. As examples, Ares and Pohl cite the L’Arche communities, Catholic Worker Houses, the Annunciation House, and others [6] where strong volunteer participation and living in mutual community create spaces that mitigate power imbalances and uphold dignity. Reflecting on these values in our own programs can help us undo some of these patterns and refine our work.
Second, it should strive for a holistic approach to participants’ needs beyond just emergency needs, including plans for integration in a community and participation in long-term strategies for changing unjust policies [7]. When we are truly committed to these kinds of intercultural solidarity, we intentionally solicit meaningful input, gather feedback, and include people in decision making can build more comprehensive, affirming, and responsive programs.
Third, sanctuary should address all phases of a migrant journey as a transnational struggle in which national policies and international collaboration threaten migrants. Meaningful sanctuary requires diverse communities throughout the region cooperate between those that provide services, receive migrants, and engage in advocacy. Relationships of philoxenia and hermandad become deeper than professional collaboration, articulating a comprehensive vision of intercultural transformation and justice for migrants. Many churches already address these issues through international networks like ACT Alliance, the Presbyterian/Reformed Mesoamerica Migration and Mission Network, and the Como Nacido entre Nosotros network.
Finally, this holistic, intercultural practice of sanctuary moves us not to see certain places as exceptional, but as some places among many where oppression occurs and liberation is possible. These relationships become rooted in mutuality and community that transform our formation as theologians who produce academic knowledge, clergy who pastor congregations, lay leaders who facilitate these programs, and members of the body of Christ.
In summary, philoxenía and hermandad promote sanctuary and hospitality rooted in mutuality, a holistic sense of sanctuary and hospitality, transnational justice work, and an alternative to nationalist idolatry. In doing so, they inform a truly Christian vision of sanctuary and hospitality that does not fall into triumphalism or idolatry.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Joseph Russ (he/him) is originally from Los Angeles, California, USA, and lived in El Salvador for 9 years. He works for the Presbyterian Church (USA) as the Global Ecumenical Liaison. Inthis role, he develops intercultural education materials and supports the Mesoamerica Migration and Mission Network, a network of organizations, communities and churches throughout Mesoamerica that address migration issues through advocacy, local projects and education. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Religion from the University of Southern California and a Master’s Degree in Latin American Theology from the Universidad Centroamericana José Simeón Cañas, where his research focused on migration theology from the perspective of returnees to El Salvador. He has worked in communications as a Global Mission Fellow for the United Methodist Church, facilitated human rights education programs at the Salvadoran NGO Cristosal, and co-founded the Santa Marta Center, a comprehensive support center and shelter specifically for LGBTIQ+ people in Central America.
