US Catholic charities receive hate mail over White House plans to welcome Syrian refugees

Catholic charities in the US have been receiving hate mail after the Paris terrorist attacks (pictured) because of their support for more Syrian refugees to be housed in the country.

Dominican Sister Donna Markham, president and CEO of Catholic Charities USA, said that the umbrella organisation has been sent "disturbing mail from people angry that we are trying to help these people”.

“It's tragic," the chief of the organisation which serves more than 160 local Catholic charitable agencies across the US said.

"We are ready to help [the Syrian refugees] if we can get them here."

Yesterday the State department reiterated its pledge to absorb 10,000 refugees from the war in Syria by the end of the fiscal year.

Since 2012, the US has taken in 1,854 Syrian refugees. France has taken in more than 5,000 Syrians while Germany has absorbed close to 100,000 since the start of the civil war in Syria.

“It speaks to who we are as Americans, and the importance of sheltering those who are escaping from other countries,” Mark Toner, the state department’s deputy spokesman said at a press conference.

“The vast majority of these refugees are victims of the very same crimes we saw in Paris, and have been living with a level of violence and suffering that is incomprehensible to us.”

At least 24 state governors, all but one of them Republicans, issued executive orders to prevent Syrian refugees from settling in their states after hearing that some of the Paris terrorists arrived in the country posing as refugees.

The White House emphasised that refugees are subjected to the strictest security vetting of any travellers entering the US and those coming from Syria are subjected to an additional level of scrutiny above that,  

US bishops speaking at their annual plenary in Baltimore this week expressed solidarity for the Catholic Charities USA and their work in helping Syrian refugees.

Auxiliary Bishop Eusebio Elizondo of Seattle, chairman of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops Committee on Migration, said: "I am disturbed by calls from both federal and state officials for an end to the resettlement of Syrian refugees in the United States" in the wake of the attacks.

French police evacuate frightened families from their homes in the Paris suburb of St Denis after surrounding a property housing suspected terrorists (PA)

"These refugees are fleeing terror themselves - violence like we have witnessed in Paris. They are extremely vulnerable families, women, and children who are fleeing for their lives. We cannot and should not blame them for the actions of a terrorist organisation.

"Moreover, refugees to this country must pass security checks and multiple interviews before entering the United States - more than any arrival to the United States.

“It can take up to two years for a refugee to pass through the whole vetting process. We can look at strengthening the already stringent screening program, but we should continue to welcome those in desperate need," he added.

Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of the bishops conference, urged his fellow clergy to pray for virtues that would help them be better spiritual leaders.

"Lord, give us an understanding heart and a credible moral voice," he said in his homily at a Mass at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Baltimore on Monday.

Archbishop Kurtz also urged the bishops to pray for the "eyesight to see as Jesus sees" and for the renewed grace to love God and serve others.