At Caritas Westminster we were shocked and saddened to hear about the deaths of 27 migrants in the English channel yesterday 24th November.
Cardinal Vincent Nichols has made a statement as follows:
‘The terrible loss of so many lives in the Channel is a tragic summons to action. This event illustrates graphically both the ruthless evil of the traffickers and the desperation of those trying to escape poverty, conflict or persecution in search of a better life.
‘Every one is a child of God, with an innate dignity and worth. Focussed international cooperation, safe routes to sanctuary and joint efforts to tackle poverty are all needed in the face of a global flood of desperate humanity.
Bishop Paul McAleenan, who is chair of Caritas Westminster and lead bishop on migration for the Bishop’s Conference, said
“A remedy needs to be found immediately to prevent more tragedies and, at the same time, address the underlying causes which force refugees to flee their homeland, war, poverty, persecution and climate change need to recognised and addressed”
You can read a response from Barbara Kentish from Westminster Justice and Peace, here.
Clare Mosely from Care4Calais, a charity well known to Caritas Westminster has been interviewed by various news channels, and has been able to explain why people make this perilous journey and what could be done to prevent such a tragedy happening again. See her statement on twitter here
- We are hosting a meeting on 9 December, (online) for anyone wishing to do more to welcome refugees, at which you can learn about the Community Sponsorship scheme. Find out more here.
- Take action on the Nationality and Borders Bill – write to your MP today!
