Compassion plea to MPs

More than 3,500 Catholics have signed a petition urging MPs to treat asylum seekers with more compassion.

The petition, launched by the St Vincent de Paul Society (SVP) was presented to Parliament last Thursday on International Human Rights Day. 

The petition was in response to the Immigration Bill, currently going through Parliament, which proposes harsher restrictions on asylum seekers. Adrian Abel, national president of the SVP, said: “People sometimes forget that asylum seekers are individuals, not just statistics. It is important that MPs recognise how passionately so many Catholics feel about supporting those seeking asylum.”

The SVP hoped the petition would encourage Parliament to adopt the proposals from the All-Party Inquiry into the Use of Immigration Detention in the UK.

The inquiry recommended a 28-day time limit for detaining immigrants, and to not detain women who are pregnant or victims of sexual violence. It also said immigrants with mental-health issues should be detained only in exceptional circumstances. MP Robert Flello, who presented the petition in Parliament, said: “Our troubled world has caused many people to seek refuge in safe countries. We should be showing compassion and mercy, not adding to the trauma.”

Meanwhile the Bishop of Arundel and Brighton, Richard Moth, called on Catholics in a pastoral letter to use the Year of Mercy as an opportunity to ­welcome outsiders including ­asylum seekers and prisoners.