Archbishop Richard Moth today highlighted the Catholic Church’s commitment to welcoming and supporting people seeking sanctuary in the UK, during a visit to Jesuit Refugee Service UK (JRS UK).
At the Hurtado Jesuit Centre, in the Archdiocese of Westminster, the Archbishop met refugees served by JRS UK, as well as volunteers and staff providing accompaniment, advice and practical support.
Archbishop Richard said:
“The root of the call of the Gospel to welcome the stranger is that recognition of the value of the human person, which comes from recognizing that God is present in everyone, and keeping ourselves rooted in that space is so important. If we lose touch with that, then people become numbers, they become statistics. We lose sight of the value of that human person for who they are. So that welcome is a key part of the Gospel.
"Jesus says we're going to be judged on it and so making that welcome available to all is absolutely key. JRS UK lives that out so clearly and is a sign to the society in which we live of what all of us are called to do.
"I think it strikes me today with this visit, that if more people could realize just what JRS is about, the impact that would have on our wider society would be extraordinary because we're living out the gospel here.
"We're about to enter the great week in the church's year and in that great week, we see our salvation. That salvation is about moving from death to life. We pray for those who find themselves taking the journey of the refugee, and through JRS UK, we hope this can really become possible for people from the edges of death to life. And that's what the resurrection is about.”
Dr David Ryall, Director of JRS UK, said:
“Archbishop Richard’s presence here with people seeking sanctuary is a great encouragement to our whole community and to our mission of accompanying, serving and advocating for those who have been forced to flee their homes.
"The Archbishop listened deeply to the experiences of our refugee friends and saw at first-hand the dignity, resilience and humanity of people seeking sanctuary in the UK. We are grateful for Archbishop Richard’s solidarity and for the way in which he calls us all to live out the Church’s teaching on welcoming refugees. His visit strengthens our commitment to building a society where every woman, man and child is welcomed with hospitality, hope and justice."
