Archbishop urges better treatment of migrants

THE ARCHBISHOP of Southwark has given a forceful defence of the rights of migrants while still stressing that countries should be able to control their borders, writes Joanna Moorhead.

He made the remarks during a homily at the annual Mass for Migrants held in St George’s Cathedral on Monday, ahead of this week’s general election Archbishop Peter Smith said migrants were often “the exploited, the rejected and the vulnerable” and that those risking their lives to leave war-torn countries such as Libya experience “further suffering” when they reach the United Kingdom.

He also highlighted the length of time people can be detained at immigration removal centres.

Immigration and the rights of migrants were on the agenda ­during the general election ­campaign following the deaths of more than 800 migrants ­travelling by sea from Libya to Italy last month.

The archbishop said we cannot “close our ears and eyes to the dreadful tragedy over recent months of hundreds of migrants drowning in the Mediterranean”.

He praised those who saved the lives of many thousands of other migrants but added that “sadly, even if they reach a safe haven in Europe, they can experience further suffering in the treatment they receive when they arrive, as some have experienced here in the UK”.

Archbishop Smith stressed the rights of a sovereign state to “control its borders in furtherance of the common good”, but he added: “There are no easy answers to the question of balancing the ­common good of resident citizens and, at the same time, reaching out and helping the most vulnerable and disadvantaged people.”

Forty different ethnic Catholic communities were at the Mass; The Tablet sponsored the music and the reception afterwards as part of the journal’s 175th anniversary celebrations.