The Irish Bishops Conference has urged the Government to use the EU presidency to enshrine the rights of asylum-seekers and migrants at European level.
The bishops committee on asylum-seekers and refugees said the Government should expedite EU asylum and migration legislation, so the highest standard of policies and procedures are put in place. Its spokeswoman, Sister Joan Roddy, said the EU Presidency gave the Government a "unique opportunity" to lead other member-states on this issue.
"Currently there is no common EU policy regarding asylum and immigration and in many cases this has led to an erosion of human rights and chaos for all concerned," she said.
The harmonisation of migration policies was essential as the EU would grow from 15 to 25 member-states next May.
The committee called on the Government to regularise the situation of the 10,500 immigrant parents of Irish citizen children.
These families were now in limbo. "On the eve of Christmas, the family feast par excellence, we appeal for administrative procedures and decisions which are just, humane and prompt," it said.
"Such an approach would be justified not only in the light of the Christian gospel but also of the Irish Constitution and of our international commitments under the Convention on the Rights of the Child."
The bishops called on the Government to take a lead by being the first EU member-state to sign the UN Convention for the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of Their Families. The committee said people frequently regarded asylum-seekers and economic immigrants as a single group.
Some 40,000 people from outside the EU receive work permits to come to Ireland every year. "Immigrants often accept work for which Irish people are unavailable or which they are unwilling to undertake.
"Without the contribution of these immigrants, we would be poorer not just economically, but also socially, spiritually, politically and culturally."
The bishops said the grounds for refugee recognition were "extremely restricted".
"Because Ireland, in common with many other EU states, has no comprehensive immigration legislation, many would-be immigrants have no option but to use the asylum channel. But the fact that some people may try to bend or defeat the asylum system is not justification for diluting or abandoning the underlying principle."
