At the heart of the Gospel is a simple truth: every person is precious, because God is present in everyone. Welcoming people seeking safety is an integral part of our faith: it is a response to the dignity God has placed in every human life. As Christians, we believe people are neighbours to be welcomed, not problems to be managed. Together, we can build a society that welcomes, protects, and stands alongside people seeking safety.
During his visit to Spain, Pope Leo XIV reminded the world that “human dignity has no passport”, and that the Church must stand in support of migrants and refugees. Here in the diocese of Plymouth, we are joining the CSAN, JRS UK and SVP national campaign, Welcome the Stranger, to ask the Government to put human dignity and protection at the heart of the asylum system.
This national campaign is a powerful response to the Holy Father’s call.
The campaign calls Catholics across the UK to join together in standing alongside refugees and people seeking sanctuary, through prayer, awareness-raising and signing campaign postcards.
The campaign asks the Government to:
- Restore the right to asylum
- Put dignity and protection at the heart of the asylum system
- End immigration detention
We hope that parishes in our diocese will take part in the campaign.
Get involved in the campaign by:
- Downloading or ordering postcards to get signed and sent to the Prime Minister
- Putting up a poster in your church in solidarity with people seeking asylum
- Speaking with others in your parish and community about why this issue is important
Information and resources are available at: https://www.jrsuk.net/defend-asylum/
or contact Alex at alexandra.miranda@prcdtr.org.uk for more details.