Scottish Catholic Observer

The Pope has said that every Catholic parish in Scotland should take in refugee families fleeing the Syrian war.

The bishops of Scotland have backed the Holy Father and urged Scottish Catholics to do all they can to support the hundreds of thousands of people fleeing to Europe.

Pope Francis said that he wanted ‘the parishes, to religious communities, to monasteries, and sanctuaries of all Europe to express the concreteness of the Gospel, and to welcome a family of refugees.’

“Faced with the tragedy of tens of thousands of refugees fleeing death on account of war and hunger, and who are travelling toward a hope for life, the Gospel calls us to be ‘neighbours’ to the smallest and abandoned,” he said. “The first thing Jesus does is bring that man who is far from the flock: He doesn’t want to give publicity to the gesture He is about to make, but neither does He want his word covered by the voices of the din and the gossip of the environment.”

Two Syrian families are due to arrive in the Vatican and stay in apartments there next week.

European leaders have been grappling with the reality of refugees amid mounting public outrage as thousands of migrants arrived in Germany and Austria and even more reached Europe’s borders.

In Britain coverage increased following a photo of a drowned Syrian toddler, Aylan Kurdi, whose family had attempted to escape to Europe. In the face of intense political pressure, Prime Minister David Cameron has pledged the UK would resettle ‘thousands more’ people from the refugee camps in the countries bordering Syria.

Archbishop Philip Tartaglia of Glasgow said that the UK needs to be ‘a safe haven’ for refugees seeking to enter Europe. He criticised the ‘mean-spirited and unhelpful’ approach Britain has adopted so far.

Bishop John Keenan of Paisley wrote to all his parishes last weekend and said he would be hosting a summit of ‘politicians, Church leaders and Aid providers’ to look at how they could ‘welcome refugees and help make a home for them in the longer term.’

The Scottish Catholic International Aid Fund (SCIAF) has launched an emergency appeal to help thousands of refugees in and around Syria and those fleeing into Europe.

Alistair Dutton, SCIAF’s director, said the crisis was a result of ‘the wars in Syria and the wider region destroying the lives of a generation of innocent people. Only a political solution will deliver the peace and stability they need to return home.’

“Until then, we must do whatever we can to care for those whose lives are being torn apart, whether they are in the Middle East or Europe,” he said.

—People can make donations to SCIAF’s Refugee Crisis Appeal by calling 0141 354 5555 or online at www.sciaf.org.uk

—What is your parish doing to help? Please share you stories, photographs and ideas on helping refugees with the SCO to inspire others. Write to Editor, Refugees, The Scottish Catholic Observer, 19 Waterloo Street, Glasgow, G2 6BT; email [email protected] or call the newsroom on 0141 241 6107/6103.

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—This story ran in full in the September 11 edition print of the SCO, available in parishes.