JRS: opening our doors to forced migrants is the only way forward

(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis’ voice rang out loud and clear this week regarding the need for the international community to act on behalf of thousands of forced migrants who are trapped in no-man’s land as they are refused entry to European countries in their journeys in search of asylum.

The Pope called for respect for the migrants during his General Audience and suggested that "people and institutions" who close doors to them should seek forgiveness from God.

Hundreds of migrants have been turned back at border controls and are camping out in Italian train stations as EU countries fail to agree on a plan to share out the refugees and to nail out new asylum policies for those who land on European shores.

Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni spoke to Oscar Spooner, communications officer at Jesuit Refugee Service Europe, about the situation.

Listen to the interview: 

Oscar Spooner describes the predicament so many forced migrants are finding themselves in as EU members states argue over how many forced migrants to accept or not accept as a terrible one: “they are using human beings as pawns in a big political struggle”.

He says that JRS wants to see European countries work together to provide safe-havens to people fleeing war, violence and persecution on a perhaps unprecedented scale in North Africa, in the Middle East and further afield.

“In Europe, closing borders and building walls will only create more hostility towards refugees. We have to break this vicious cycle, we have to open our doors: it’s the only way forward” he says.

Regarding Pope  Francis’ repeated calls to take action on behalf of refugees Spooner says “it’s fantastic that the Pope is providing moral leadership on refugees”, he says that as a world religious leader “his voice rings loud and clear” around the whole world.

“He’s reminding us all that true humanity is far bigger than a single nation state” he says.

Regarding who is trying to take care and reach out to the many vulnerable forced migrants Spooner says there are NGOs trying hard to help people on the ground.

“This is a job that States should be organizing and fully supporting, but all too often it’s the NGOs who have to fill in the gaps and are struggling to do so” he says.

Spooner points out that the situation for the migrants themselves is extremely tough; the ones who arrive in Europe have survived perilous and exhausting journeys and they need initial support before they can apply for asylum.

He says the Churches are doing a lot, some of them raising funds and others even hosting and helping refugees personally, often in collaboration with religious communities.

But, Spooner says, there is always the chance for people to do more and for Churches to be even more active.

JRS, he reveals, is active across Europe and all over the world, including Syria where it has a big operation ongoing that provides thousands of meals a day. 

Inside Europe he says, JRS has 13 offices in 13 different countries and it reaches out to refugees providing basic support when they first arrive as well as legal accompaniment and projects for their integration in society.

Spooner concludes commenting on the fact that the current tension is really “the result of these long-standing restrictive border policies: so we would like to see European countries working together to engage with the world”.

“We must provide safe-haven for civilians from conflict zones; it’s the only way to show our humanity and to build some peace for the future” he says.