Bishop joins in show of support for migrants and refugees

A BISHOP from Leicester Diocese joined European church leaders to affirm respect and compassion for refugees and migrants.

The Right Reverend Guli FrancisDehqani, bishop of Loughborough, signed a statement calling on people to care for those less fortunate than them.

It was jointly issued by the Churches’ Commission for Migrants in Europe and the Conference of European Churches, of which bishop Guli is vice president.

More than 30 signatories of the statement come from diverse church traditions across Europe, including Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and African-Instituted, among others.

Regional and international Christian organisations, chapters of Christian world communions and ecumen- ical groups statement.

It was presented to Mairead McGuinness, first vice president of the European Parliament in Brussels.

She said: “This statement is timely, challenging and is really worth reading.

“It calls upon all of us who have strong shoulders to bear greater weight than those who have less also endorsed the strong shoulders.

“It reminds us that everyone has a responsibility and that we need to care and if we don’t care at Christmas time than what is the best time to care for those less fortunate.

The statement says: “We commit to more fervently articulating and working towards our vision of an inclusive and participatory society – for newly arrived and all inhabit- ants.”

The text features a Christian approach to action and policy in church and society arguing for safe passage to protection and realistic labour migration policies in Europe.

The church leaders also stress the need for solidarity as a guiding principle for governing migration and refugee reception.