More than 200 religious leaders, including the former Archbishop of Canterbury, Lord (Rowan) Williams, have written to the Prime Minister urging the Government to revise its policy on refugees.
In an open letter sent on Monday to Theresa May, senior Christian, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish and Muslim leaders, among others, have called for a review to current policy which they say has serious defects in terms of facilitating family reunions among asylum seekers.
The letter says that under present immigration rules “a British doctor of Syrian origin could not bring her parents from a refugee camp in Lebanon – even though they were refugees and she could support and house them”. Equally a Syrian child arriving alone in the UK “could not bring his parents from a refugee camp in Jordan – even if the child were recognised a refugee and even though his parents were themselves refugees”.
The signatories, all writing in a personal capacity, call on the Government to “create safe, legal routes of travel” and to adopt “fair and humane family reunion policies for refugees”.
“Families in these situations can currently be reunited only by resorting to desperately unsafe irregular journeys, sometimes ending in avoidable tragedies”, they say, referring to the treacherous journey many hundreds of thousands are taking yearly to reach Europe.
The faith leaders join over 350 judges and lawyers who published a similar letter to the Prime Minister in October, as well as 120 senior economists and 27 humanitarian organisations all calling for the Government to adhere to “four refugee principles”.
These principles are to: take a “fair and proportionate share of refugees”, both from within Europe and outside; establish “safe and legal routes within Europe, including the UK”; provide access to “fair and thorough procedures to determine eligibility for international protection wherever it is sought”.
Among the signatories were several Catholics, including the Superior of Mount Street Jesuit Community, Fr Dominic Robinson SJ. He told The Tablet he had signed the letter after witnessing the "squalor" unaccompanied children in Calais refugee camps were living in. "You've got nearly 400 children living in danger, in squalor, and it could be resolved", he said. Fr Dominic added that the United Kingdom has a responsibility to stop the "genocide" of Christians in the Middle East and help religious minorities remain in their home country. He said work was also needed on "reconciliation in our own country so that we can tackle security issues at the grassroots and the rise of extremism in some communities."
The British Government has so far promised to resettle 20,000 Syrian refugees by 2020. It will not take refugees already in Europe, but those most vulnerable in camps near the conflict zone.
Faith groups, including Cafod and Christian aid, are marching in solidarity with refugees this week in London (17 September) before the start of two major UN summits on refugees and migration.
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