Stand in solidarity with migrants and refugees

ARCHBISHOP Jason Gordon has launched an Archdiocese’s Ministry for Migrants and Refugees (AMMR) calling on the nation to use this opportunity on World Refugee Day (WRD) to commit to stand in solidarity with migrants and refugees and to promote their human rights.

As WRD is observed by millions today, the Archbishop urged all to pray and act to ensure that there was a place at the table of life for all.

He said it was a day when “we commemorate the strength, courage and perseverance of millions of refugees”. In Pope Francis’ Message for World Day of Migrants and Refugees January 2018 entitled “Migrants and Refugees: men and women in search of peace”, he called for people to develop a strategy combining four actions to support migrants and refugees, welcoming, protecting, promoting and integrating.

“The earth is our common home and we are a universal family. Together, we are called to build the common good, that is, to create conditions in which each person can realise his or her potential,” Pope Francis said. He said that providing aid to migrants and refugees was a great responsibility which the Church intended to share with all believers who were called to respond to the many challenges of contemporary migration with generosity, promptness, wisdom and foresight according to their own abilities.

“I would like to ask you all to see a ray of hope as well in the eyes and hearts of refugees and for those who have been forcibly displaced,” the Pope said. Gordon said people could not turn their eyes away from the 65.3 million persons in the world who have been displaced from their homes and the 22.5 million refugees who sought peace. He reminded that migrants and refugees were not pawns on the chessboard of humanity, and urged all to have respect for their lives and dignity. He said in TT there were migrants and refugees from over 20 countries, including Cuba, Venezuela, Syria, Bangladesh, Jamaica, Colombia, Nigeria, Pakistan, Congo, Mali, Sudan and Uganda, where there were many children among the men and women seeking refuge here from these and other countries.

“If we are to build the common good in our country, we must take action to enact legislation that will enable the recommendations in the Cabinet adopted 2014 policy relating to the Status of Refugees to be implemented. “We therefore call on our Government to take decisive action and pass/enact national legislation on refugee issues.

This is essential if TT is to meet its international obligations, having acceded in Nov 2000 to the 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees and its 1967 Protocol. These are the foundations of international refugee law. We call on the Government also to develop an efficient and secure asylum system,” Gordon said.