The churches have welcomed the Government decision to introduce work permits for asylum-seekers and have urged the immediate implementation of the Refugee Act. They also ask that refugee status be provided "to as many refugees as possible", where a well-founded case for doing so exists.
And, while reaffirming a commitment to address issues of systematic disadvantage such as long-term unemployment and inadequate housing provision, they "do not accept that a choice has to be made between providing for the material needs and wider aspirations of Irish people, and making the same provision for refugees".
In a combined and strong statement, issued by the Catholic Archbishop of Dublin, Dr Desmond Connell, and the Dublin Council of Churches, they call on all members and relevant bodies within the churches "to seriously and actively reflect on the issues of asylum and racism in general". And they urge all Christians "to be open to the diversity and richness which can come from immigration into this country".
They remind fellow Christians "that Jesus Christ began his earthly life as a refugee" and ask them to commit themselves, "and all the society in which we live, to respond to the stranger among us in a manner worthy of the infinitely inclusive God who created us, one and all".
Irish Christians are faced with a choice: "to turn inwards, rejecting the stranger, and turning our back on our own history in doing so; or to commit ourselves, together, to the building of a more welcoming, more inclusive society, in which the stranger is welcomed as one who comes bearing gifts".
The Dublin Council of Churches includes representatives of the Church of Ireland, the Presbyterian Church, the Methodist Church, the Lutheran Church, the Salvation Army, the Society of Friends, and the Greek Orthodox Church.
In their statement the churches endorse information provided by Amnesty and Trocaire about asylum-seekers and urge that the need for pastoral care be addressed, ensuring a supportive Christian friendship for those refugees with whom we come into contact, and encouraging an understanding of different cultures and spiritualities.
They support those groups trying to improve the lives of refugees and also commend the generosity with which many Dublin inner-city residents have welcomed asylum-seekers.
