Archbishop questions sanctuary of asylum seekers at cathedral
-16/05/06
The place of ch
Archbishop questions sanctuary of asylum seekers at cathedral
-16/05/06
The place of churches in offering sanctuary to asylum seekers who face deportation has been brought into the public spotlight, as a hunger protest by refugees from Afghanistan continues in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin.
Church of Ireland Archbishop John Neill said yesterday that St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin was not an appropriate place for a hunger protest by the refugees.
Forty-one Afghans entered the church on Sunday and began refusing food and water to avoid being deported to Afghanistan, where they claim their lives would be in danger.
The Archbishop visited the asylum seekers at the church in central Dublin where officials have given them access to toilet facilities and water.
Services have continued as normal and tourists wander around the Gothic cathedral, while the group sits mostly in silence in a small corner of the building.
While Neill said on Monday he would not ask the refugees to leave, he also doubted there is a sanctuary right in modern-day Ireland.
“That was something that was there in ancient times,” the archbishop told Web site Ireland On-Line.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral is “not an appropriate place for them to be because it is not a place with proper facilities,” Neill said.
But Osman Hotak, spokesman for the group, said “We don’t have a place in our country”.
“Our country was devastated by more than three decades of war so we hope that in that sense the authorities will allow us to stay.”
But the plea for sanctuary comes just a week after the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, called for the government to consider an amnesty for illegal immigrants in the UK.
Speaking at a colourful and moving May Day Mass for migrant workers at Westminster Cathedral, the Cardinal said that while the Church did not endorse entering the country illegally, it could not ignore the plight of people without legal status.
Catholic priests have also previously said they were prepared to go to prison to stop asylum seekers being deported, and refused entry to their churches to police and immigration officials.
Archbishop questions sanctuary of asylum seekers at cathedral
-16/05/06
The place of churches in offering sanctuary to asylum seekers who face deportation has been brought into the public spotlight, as a hunger protest by refugees from Afghanistan continues in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin.
Church of Ireland Archbishop John Neill said yesterday that St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin was not an appropriate place for a hunger protest by the refugees.
Forty-one Afghans entered the church on Sunday and began refusing food and water to avoid being deported to Afghanistan, where they claim their lives would be in danger.
The Archbishop visited the asylum seekers at the church in central Dublin where officials have given them access to toilet facilities and water.
Services have continued as normal and tourists wander around the Gothic cathedral, while the group sits mostly in silence in a small corner of the building.
While Neill said on Monday he would not ask the refugees to leave, he also doubted there is a sanctuary right in modern-day Ireland.
“That was something that was there in ancient times,” the archbishop told Web site Ireland On-Line.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral is “not an appropriate place for them to be because it is not a place with proper facilities,” Neill said.
But Osman Hotak, spokesman for the group, said “We don’t have a place in our country”.
“Our country was devastated by more than three decades of war so we hope that in that sense the authorities will allow us to stay.”
But the plea for sanctuary comes just a week after the leader of the Roman Catholic Church in England and Wales, Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor, called for the government to consider an amnesty for illegal immigrants in the UK.
Speaking at a colourful and moving May Day Mass for migrant workers at Westminster Cathedral, the Cardinal said that while the Church did not endorse entering the country illegally, it could not ignore the plight of people without legal status.
Catholic priests have also previously said they were prepared to go to prison to stop asylum seekers being deported, and refused entry to their churches to police and immigration officials.