Bishop to pray outside Home Office for border crossing victims

‘To see the humanity and dignity of every person requires the courage to reach out and welcome refugees, resisting those voices which seek to sow fear or division in our communities.’

As Refugee Week begins, Bishop Paul McAleenan, lead bishop for migrants and refugees for the bishops’ conference of England and Wales, will join a prayer vigil for “our sisters and brothers who have died trying to come to Europe”, outside the Home Office.

The vigil is organised by The London Catholic Worker, the Diocese of Westminster Justice and Peace Commission and the London Churches Refugee Fund, at 12.30 today.

At least 162 people have died trying to cross the English Channel between 2018 and 2025, and the vigil remembers all who have suffered or died as a result of immigration policies as they attempted to reach the UK.

“A significant part of the prayer is taken with saying the names, and a little bit of information about those who have died,” said Sr MaryAnne FCJ. “It is very poignant to stand and pray for those in power and for those who suffer, at the foot of the imposing Home Office building in Marsham Street.

“This is the place where the policies are made, where the ‘hostile environment’ was thought out and made a reality, where individual cases are deliberated and people are rejected or accepted into the UK.”

The Columbans, in collaboration with the Faithful Companions of Jesus’ (FCJ) Centre for Spirituality and EcoJustice, have invited a group of sixth-form students to join the vigil.

The students will meet at the FCJ Centre to discuss the Christian call to ‘welcome the stranger’, the challenges facing people seeking sanctuary in Britain, their own political power, and how faith can be put into action, and then travel together to the prayer vigil at the Home Office. 

Refugee Week is dedicated to remembering and celebrating the contributions, resilience and dignity of refugees and everyone who is seeking sanctuary; this year has the theme of “courage”.

“As we celebrate Refugee Week and its theme of ‘courage’, we acknowledge the resilience and hope shown by refugees and asylum seekers,” said Bishop McAleenan. “As Pope Leo reminded us during the Jubilee Year, their journeys often bear witness to remarkable faith, courage and determination in the face of great hardship.”

Bishop McAleenan also said that we are all called to the courage to reach out and welcome refugees, to “see the humanity and dignity of every person” and “resist those voices which seek to sow fear or division in our communities”.

“They are our brothers and sisters, made in the image of God,” he said. “By welcoming them we bear witness to the Gospel’s call to love our neighbour.”

Bishop McAleenan encouraged the faithful to join the prayer vigil in London to remember all those who have suffered or died while seeking safety and a better future and to take part in Refugee Week events in their local communities.

Caritas Social Action Network, who have co-launched the ‘Welcome the stranger’ campaign urging the government to restore the right to asylum, has produced a collective worship plan for secondary students for Refugee Week, including prayer, scripture, video, and questions for reflection. 

They encourage Catholics to write to the prime minister, put up a poster in their church in solidarity with people seeking asylum, and speak to others in their parish and community about why this issue is important.

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