Love the Stranger is a powerful and timely reminder that refugees and migrants are our sister and brothers, made in God’s image, irrespective of how they arrive on our shores; that we all share a common humanity; and that this has deep and concrete implications for refugee and asylum policy and legislation.
It is a Christian reflection on the humanity, dignity, and rights of refugees that speaks directly to our national context. Love the stranger rightly urges policymakers to protect and uphold the rights and dignity of refugees and migrants, to recognise refugees’ need to travel however they can, and to respect international law. In calling for these and other measures, Love the Stranger makes a call that is both profound and practical. It galvanises us to love and solidarity, and a time when so much political discourse – and indeed the law itself – is increasingly aimed at hatred and division.
JRS UK accompanies and serves people who have sought asylum here, only to be denied sanctuary or justice, and subjected to prolonged destitution and detention. Time and again, we witness the human cost of an asylum system that does not respect human dignity. At a time when this dignity is threatened more than ever, we affirm and echo the Catholic Bishops’ call to avoid practices which violate human dignity, including immigration detention and arbitrary expulsion, to uphold the rights of refugees, and to celebrate their gifts and their humanity.
Megan Knowles, JRS UK’s Interim Deputy Director said: “I’m delighted to commend Love the Stranger. Its powerful pages offer clear principles for a just and humane asylum system, rooted in encounter with, and respect for, individua human dignity.
“The proposals stand in sharp contrast to the government’s vaunting attacks on refugee rights. As the Illegal Migration Bill threatens to introduce a de facto ban on asylum in the UK, and to exponentially increase the use of detention, Love the Stranger reminds us of what we are called to do instead.”
Download Love the Stranger on CBCEW website
