It is controversial, political and highly emotional. The question of what to do with asylum seekers has been one of the nation’s hottest topics and is not likely to lose its sizzle any time soon.
By David Kerr
Pope Benedict XVI will mark January’s World Day of Migrants and Refugees with a call for the ‘new evangelisation’ to extend to migrant workers, refugees and international students.
By Natina Giacco In light of the current debate in Australia concerning migrants and refugees, the Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office (ACMRO) recently held a colloquium whose aim was twofold: to pay tribute to the memory of Bishop Joseph Grech and the compassion with which he dealt with migrant issues; and to encourage debate about the issues affecting those who leave their native countries to begin a new life in Australia.
By Brenda Hubber When I first started working at the Melbourne Catholic Migrant & Refugee Office (MCMRO), I was fairly ignorant about the treatment of asylum seekers in Australia. I had heard about ‘boat people’ and had some sympathy for their plight but naively believed that the government was taking care of them.
On Sunday 28 August 2011, the Catholic Church in Australia celebrates the 97th World Day of Migrants and Refugees and the end of Migrant and Refugee Week. Here, Episcopal Vicar for Migrants and Refugees, Fr Delmar Silva CS, reflects on the theme of Pope Benedict XVI's message for the occasion, 'One Human Family'.