Bishop Paul McAleenan, Lead Bishop for Migrants and Refugees, has joined with leaders of the other churches to renew their commitment to caring for the most vulnerable, as legislation to enable asylum seekers to be deported to Rwanda was approved by Parliament.

In a joint statement with leaders of the Church of England, Methodist, Baptist, Quaker and United Reformed Churches, they pay tribute to all those who “live out Jesus’s call to feed and clothe the poor, and to welcome the stranger, at times in the face of opposition and prejudice.”

The statement voices concern that asylum seekers and refugees have been used as a “political football” and speaks of people fleeing war, persecution and violence having been “unjustly maligned by some for political reasons.”

Read the full statement:

We retain deep misgivings about the Safety of Rwanda Bill, passed in Parliament last night, for the precedent it sets at home and for other countries in how we respond to the most vulnerable. This includes victims of modern slavery and children wrongly assessed as adults, whom we have a duty to protect.

As leaders in Christian churches we wish to express our profound gratitude to those who live out Jesus’s call to feed and clothe the poor, and to welcome the stranger, through their work with asylum seekers and refugees, at times in the face of opposition and prejudice.

We note with sadness and concern the rise in hostility towards those who come to these islands seeking refuge and the way in which the treatment of the refugee and asylum seeker has been used as a political football.

We are disappointed that the kindness and support offered by churches and charities to the people at the heart of this debate – those fleeing war, persecution and violence trying to find a place of safety – has been unjustly maligned by some for political reasons.

In their response to the tragic attack in Clapham earlier this year, some former Home Office ministers, MPs and other commentators sought to portray churches and clergy as deliberately facilitating false asylum claims. It was for this reason, at the request of Anglican leaders, that representatives of our Churches met the Home Secretary in February. When asked, neither he nor officials could provide evidence to support the allegations of widespread abuse. Home Office Ministers have since confirmed this in a written parliamentary answer, and on questioning by the Home Affairs Select Committee. Follow-up meetings have since been agreed to promote closer cooperation and co-working between the churches and the Home Office.

Like so many in this country, we seek to support a system that shows compassion, justice, transparency and speed in its decisions. We grieve the appalling loss of life in the Channel today.

There may be differences between our churches and Government on the means by which our asylum system can be fair, effective and respecting of human dignity, but we do agree that borders must be managed and that vulnerable people need protection from people smugglers. We have pledged to continue to work with the Home Office, and we do so in good faith.

Bishop Paul McAleenan, Lead Bishop for Migrants and Refugees, CBCEW
Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby
Archbishop of York, Stephen Cottrell
Bishop of Southwark, Christopher Chessun
Revd Lynn Green, General Secretary, The Baptist Union of Great Britain
Revd Dr Tessa Henry-Robinson, United Reformed Church General Assembly Moderator
Revd Gill Newton, President of the Methodist Conference

The Archdiocese of Southwark is hosting the annual London Migrant Workers Mass at St George’s Cathedral on Monday 6 May.

Migrants make a valuable contribution to life in the UK. The annual Mass is a celebration of how communities have been enriched by migration and the difference migrants make to wider society.

The Mass will be led by Archbishop John Wilson, with bishops from the Diocese of Westminster and Brentwood in attendance.

Speaking ahead of the Mass, Archbishop John said:

“Each and every person is a gift from God. Each and every person has gifts to offer to God and to others. That is why it is such a blessing people from across the globe have made their home here. It is this diversity, which has enriched our lives immeasurably, that we will be celebrating, and for which we will be giving our thanks to God.

“Our faith demands that we love our neighbour. This means we must serve those without a place to call home, especially those seeking refuge. As one family of humankind, united in love, we can – and we must – welcome our brothers and sisters who are suffering and help them to feel at home in our communities.”

The Mass takes place on the Feast of St Joseph the Worker and is a collaboration between the Archdiocese of Southwark, Diocese of Westminster and the Diocese of Brentwood. It is supported by the Justice and Peace Commissions and the Ethnic Chaplaincies.

People are encouraged to attend in their national dress as part of the celebrations, with a banner procession taking place at the beginning of Mass.

The Migrants Mass has been celebrated since 2006, when it was initiated by Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, then-Archbishop of Westminster. The Archdiocese of Southwark and dioceses of Westminster and Brentwood host it in turns, this year being in St George’s Cathedral, Southwark.

The Mass will be celebrated on Monday 6 May at 12.30pm at St George’s Cathedral, London SE1 6HR. People are encouraged to arrive early as it is expected to be a full Mass.

Diocese of Southwark

Not casting stones

We come here month after month, to pray for asylum seekers and to mark the deaths of those whom the system has failed. We pray, like the importunate widow, each time, for justice for refugees, for a welcome for these strangers. What more can we be doing that we are not already doing?

I thought about today’s reading, and the woman who apparently deserved stoning, and Jesus’s reluctant conclusion: ‘Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.’

I wonder if there is a danger that we can look as though we are blaming government for all the ills of the asylum and immigration system. Yet we have a tiny part to play.

We are here as Christians, but also as citizens, who have a degree of freedom of speech, the right to assemble, the right to share our views, although we know that all of these cannot be taken for granted. And a vote. We have an election coming up, probably in the Autumn.

Our message, month after month, is surely that a politics of compassion must be applied to the whole asylum system. This system is national, European and global, and the crisis of people on the move needs to be seen as a huge humanitarian crisis. This was done after the Second World War, but also after the Vietnam war, when more than 1.3 million people were resettled.

I looked up some suggestions for policy, and found on Amnesty International site the following eight pointers:

Safe routes to sanctuary
2) Resettle most vulnerable
3) Save lives
4) Crossing borders: allow people to cross borders without papers, as they flee from danger.
5) Stop trafficking
6) Stop blaming refugees for domestic problems
Governments need to stop blaming refugees and migrants for economic and social problems, and instead combat all kinds of xenophobia and racial discrimination.
7) Start funding an impoverished UN, which has not even enough money to deal with the famine crisis in the Sudan for instance.
8) Asylum is a human right
The world has a very short memory. In the aftermath of World War II, most countries agreed to protect refugees through the 1951 Refugee Convention, and through UN agencies like the UNHCR.

Barbed wire fences and chronic underfunding have left that vision of a better world in tatters. By ignoring the warning signs, world leaders have allowed a huge, global humanitarian crisis to unfold. Ultimately, it will be resolved by ending the conflicts and persecution that forced people to flee in the first place.

But no one knows when that will be. Meanwhile, we need radical solutions, visionary leadership and global co-operation on a scale not seen for 70 years. That involves setting up strong refugee systems: allowing people to apply for asylum, treating their refugee claims fairly, resettling the most vulnerable of all, and providing basics like education and healthcare.

None of these eight solutions are impossible to achieve, if politicians listen to the millions of people saying “refugees welcome”, and put solidarity and compassion above petty wrangling over who should host a few thousand refugees’.

My own thoughts on the local domestic level are obvious:

– stop throwing money at walls and fences and spend it instead on improving the claims system, using the money to enable the – Home Office to deal with the huge backlog of applications.
– Stop putting people in detention for indefinite periods, treating them like prisoners, and instead let them go out to work, including while they await a hearing of their applications.

As Simon Jenkins of the Guardian says:

‘Our plight is rich in absurdity. The UK needs new workers and people want to come here. The real problem is populist politics’.

In other words, the fears planted in people about invasion by strangers is simply a tool of a party faction using biased media, and should be dealt with as such.

But overall, as Clive Myrie, of the BBC says: ‘we need international cooperation to solve a global crisis’.

Which brings me to the central idea behind all of these measures: Compassion and humanity. The theme for Refugee Week this year is Compassion.

What we are doing here in Marsham Street is praying for an international politics of compassion. And whatever we are getting involved in, whether hospitality, campaigning, accompaniment or befriending, we are praying that the umbrella idea over all of it, is compassion, not numbers, not expediency, identity politics or anything else. The alternative is the deaths we have just heard read out. It does not have to be like this.

With a general election coming up, might we think of doing our part, and coming up with a sort of Charter of Compassion for refugees, Might we do our own writing on the ground, as to what to put forward on how we might address this global crisis, and not be accused of simply casting stones at the Government?

The things we pray for, Lord, give us the grace to labour for!

List of the Dead, March 2023

At the Vigil we prayed for all those who died in the month of March 2023 while trying to seek sanctuary in Europe. Please remember them also in your prayers. You might like to download or print this sheet for your own daily memorials.

The next Vigil will take place on 15th April 2024.

Prayer Booklet for the Home Office Vigil – March 2024

A monthly Memorial Prayer Vigil for refugees and asylum-seekers takes place on the 3^rd Monday of every month outside the Home Office, SW1P 4DF, 12:30pm to 1:30pm.

Praying for

• Those who died trying to reach the UK
• Victims of current wars
• Those in detention and who are homeless
• The UK to be a more welcoming nation

Sign up to receive email news & alerts of changes or cancellation at: homeofficevigil@gmail.com

Co-sponsored by Westminster Justice and Peace Commission
London Catholic Worker and
London Churches Refugee Fund

https://www.jrsuk.net/news/advent-service-2023/

Monthly Memorial Prayer Vigil for refugees and asylum-seekers On the 3^rd Monday of every month Outside the Home Office SW1P 4DF 12:30pm to 1:30pm

Praying for

• Those who died trying to reach the UK
• Victims for current wars
• Those in detention and who are homeless
• The UK to be a more welcoming nation

Sign up to receive email news & alerts of changes or cancellation at: homeofficevigil@gmail.com

Co-sponsored by Westminster Justice and Peace Commission
London Catholic Worker and
London Churches Refugee Fund

Praying for

• Those who died trying to reach the UK
• Victims for current wars
• Those in detention and who are homeless
• The UK to be a more welcoming nation

Sign up to receive email news & alerts of changes or cancellation at: homeofficevigil@gmail.com

Co-sponsored by Westminster Justice and Peace Commission, London Catholic Worker and
London Churches Refugee Fund