2015-10-05 14:30:00

EU Churches call for unified political response to migrant crisis


(Vatican Radio) European Church leaders are calling for a unified political response, supported proportionately by all EU member states, to find solutions for the current migrant crisis.

A joint statement released by Cardinal Reinhard Marx, President of the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) and by the Rt Rev. Christopher Hill, President of the Conference of European Churches (CEC) calls for a concerted political response and pledges the support of the Churches.

Listen to the report by Linda Bordoni

The Presidents of the largest groupings of Christian communities within the EU have renewed their plea for a “concerted unified political response” to the current migration crisis which, they say, must be supported proportionately by all EU member states.

Their plea, they point out, comes – not least with the coming of winter – and in a joint statement Cardinal Marx and Reverend Hill also pledge to play their part,  at every level, from the local/parochial to the national, in embracing the twin challenges of welcoming those who are in desperate need and turn to us for help, and of making them an integral part of the European society to which we belong.

Pope Francis has repeatedly called on all Christians to live up to Gospel teachings and reach out to refugees and forced migrants with welcome and solidarity and has asked all parishes and Church Institutions to offer hospitality to migrant families.

Hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants fleeing war or seeking new lives have flooded into Europe. Many countries are struggling to cope with the crisis and EU leaders have so far failed to come up with a unified plan of action..

Meanwhile, churches and faith-based organizations are often those on the frontlines offering both emergency and long term assistance to vulnerable people as well as providing essential support to often inadequate government response programmes.

Please find below the joint COMECE-CEC statement:

The European family of nations finds itself confronting a humanitarian crisis on a scale without precedent in its post-war history. Civil war in Syria, widespread political instability in other areas of the Middle East and dire poverty in many parts of sub-Saharan Africa have forced upwards of two million people, many traumatised by war, others rendered hopeless by poverty, to seek asylum or the opportunity of a better life in Europe. The migrant crisis has received wide media coverage, the political world has scrambled to find solutions, religious communities and civil society across the EU have responded with sometimes amazing warmth and generosity, especially to those whose need is greatest. The crisis risks overwhelming us and the suffering of those looking to Europe for refuge, asylum and the opportunity of a better life risks becoming more acute - not least with the coming of winter - unless a political response, supported proportionately by all EU member states, is forthcoming. 

Christian leaders across the continent have made their voices heard, pleading for humane treatment for migrants, asking the member states to be generous in their hospitality and pleading for solidarity across the Union in extending welcome to asylum seekers, with particular sensitivity to the most vulnerable, especially families with children and unaccompanied minors. We, speaking as presidents of the two largest groupings of Christian communities within the European Union, renew our plea for a concerted, unified political response to the current migrant crisis and pledge the support of the Churches we represent by playing our part, at every level, from the local/parochial to the national, in embracing with generosity the twin challenges of welcoming brothers and sisters from beyond our territorial frontiers in desperate need and who turn to us for help, and of making them an integral part of the European society to which we belong.








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