“Migrants and refugees are not pawns on the chessboard of humanity. They are children, women and men who leave or who are forced to leave their homes for various reasons, who share a legitimate desire for knowing and having, but above all for being more.”
- Pope Francis
About Catholics for Refugees
Catholics for Refugees is a movement. A movement of people who are committed to the social justice teachings of the Catholic Church and who know it is time to change the way we treat refugees and people seeking asylum.
Almost everything about Australia’s treatment of refugees and asylum seeker families runs contrary to the Gospel, Catholic social teaching and our own hearts. That’s why so many Catholics have decided it is time we got together and took action to change the way we treat the world’s most vulnerable people.
Who are we?
Catholics for Refugees is a new movement made up of parishes, schools, community groups, Religious Orders, individuals, those who count themselves into the Church and those who have long since walked away but remain committed to the call of Christ to honour the orphan, the widow, the refugee and the prisoner – there are many thousands of us and we are all needed.
We know it’s time to listen to the whisperings of our heart, the leadership of Pope Francis and the call of our God to get informed, get connected and get organised to use our voices for those who have no voice.
We witnessed just how important and powerful this voice can be when over 60 organisations, Bishops, Religious orders and service providers signed a letter asking the Prime Minister of Australia to recognise the extraordinary need and health risk being experienced by asylum seekers and temporary visa holders in our community.
We see in this response a real desire on the part of so many to take coordinated action on behalf of those most in need and an example of what we can do together. The level of change required to deliver a more humane outcome for those seeking Australia’s protection requires coordinated thinking and working across three levels:
Local
Supporting action in local Catholics for Refugees groups across Australia.
Australia-wide
Collaborating with religious orders, non-government organisations (NGOs), schools, dioceses, and the Australian Catholic Bishops Conference (ACBC) to welcome and protect the stranger and engage our political leaders to do the same.
Oceania
Working with communities across Oceania to investigate and develop a humane, legal and sustainable approach to the rising numbers of displaced people in our neighbourhood.
Something to think about
Catholics for Refugees needs all of us to work together for those who need our advocacy and action. We would love you to join us – or at least take a closer look.
Imagine this:
A revival of the Catholic faith with the community leading the charge on advocating for social justice for refugees and challenging out-dated political rhetoric.
Catholics for Refugees groups are growing and taking action, with group leaders meeting and working together across cities.
Parishes are actively engaged in the issue of people seeking asylum.
Bishops are passionately involved in advocacy with politicians and building better connections across different political spectrums.
Catholics across Australia, New Zealand, Papua New Guinea and the Solomon Islands are creating new remedies, caring for displaced families in a legal, humane and sustainable way.
Together, we can be the difference.
Join Us
Join us in taking action by connecting with or starting a Catholics for Refugees group; getting involved in changing the way the Catholic Church engages with this punitive public policy; and working together to imagine a new way of caring for displaced families and communities in our own neighbourhood.