The Catholic Bishop for Migrants has called on Catholics to show solidarity with the refugees and migrants who attempt to cross the English Channel in the hopes of being granted asylum in the UK, reminding Christians that their place is “in the same boat” as the afflicted.
His comments came as Catholic charities described the increasingly heated rhetoric around refugee Channel crossings as populist and xenophobic. This week the Prime Minister, Boris Johnson, said that attempts to cross the Channel were “a very bad and stupid and dangerous and criminal thing to do” and hinted that he might change the law to make it easier to deport people who arrive in England in this way.
Meanwhile the Home Secretary, Priti Patel, who visited Calais this week, said that the Home Office could ask the military to intervene to stop boats crossing.
Bishop Paul McAleenan told The Tablet that a solution must be found to the large numbers of refugees and migrants who attempt to cross the Channel, but he said that solution will be found “as a whole humanity”, echoing Pope Francis’ comments on the pandemic.
“The Governments of the UK and France need to work together to assist those struggling, recognising that they are dealing with people who have already escaped danger, persecution and danger in their own countries. They are still trying to escape,” he said.
“We are being shown sights of unseaworthy crafts in the water, however there is another reality, a story behind the headlines. Each individual in those vessels in the sea has a history, the pain of which they are trying to flee.
“Why are they attempting to reach the UK? Providing the true answer to this question is essential, among other things it will help to allay the fears of the British public. “
His comments were echoed by the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS UK), which supports and advocates for refugees and asylum seekers in this country, including by delivering food and other essentials to them during the pandemic.
Sarah Teather, director of JRS UK, said: “People make perilous journeys because they have to, because they are desperate and because their lives are under threat. If the government is serious about preventing Channel crossings, it must provide safe routes for people seeking sanctuary to come to the UK.
“Instead, we hear those forced to undertake dangerous crossings described as criminal. To protect human life, it is vital that we uphold the right to seek asylum, making it safer to cross borders in order to do so, and not prejudging the cases of those obliged to cross informally.”
Charities that work closely with refugees in both Calais and Dover warned that the Prime Minister’s language obscured the true stories of the people seeking asylum.
Ben Bano, from the charity Seeking Sanctuary, commented: “We deplore the use of xenophobic and populist language from whatever source to describe people in a desperate situation risking their lives to find safety. In the words of Pope Francis, 'every migrant has a name, a face and a story'. Let’s also remember that those involved are not 'illegals' - it is perfectly legal to cross the Channel in order to claim asylum in the UK as there is no other means of doing so.”
Speaking to The Tablet Bishop McAleenan thanked those organisations that have offered practical support and advocacy to refugees.
“I pay tribute to those voluntary organisations in Northern France and on the south coast of England who in word and action have made it clear that it is our obligation to assist those in danger and to go to the aid of the deprived. In March when referring to the pandemic, Pope Francis said that all ‘are in the same boat’. Metaphorically, that is where the supporters of the refugees are, it is where those who are formed by Christ’s teachings should be, willing to be on the side of the afflicted,” he said.
“Should the Navy be deployed in the English Channel its mission should be humanitarian. The element of assistance and concern for welfare was included when the citizens of the UK were informed of the reasons for our military involvement in the countries from which some of the refugees come. More than ever that sentiment needs to continue.”
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