Media Release
October 16, 2009
Catholic Bishop calls for compassionate discussion about refugees
and asylum seekers
The low numbers of asylum seekers who enter Australia each year are not a
significant burden for a wealthy country such as ours, a Catholic Bishop said today.
Bishop Joseph Grech, the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference delegate for
refugee and migrant issues, called on all Australians, including politicians, to stop and
think about asylum seekers and why they were seeking to escape their homeland.
“While the assessment of each individual’s claim for refugee status must be left to the
formal process, we should all be aware of the incredible trauma being experienced by
many people in present and past war zones such as Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Iraq”,
Bishop Grech said.
“Not only does Australia have humanitarian obligations under UN Charters, but many
Australians are descendants of people who came to Australia to escape persecution in
their countries of birth.
This can help us understand and open our hearts to those who are suffering.”
“I am not suggesting that we can take everyone in the world, but we should
particularly look towards the needs of those in our immediate area of the world. Let
us look at the reasons why these people have become asylum seekers and let us
encourage our government to talk to other governments in our region to offer
assistance to relieve such suffering”.
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