More volunteers are needed as Timaru prepares to welcome Syrian refugees again after Covid-19 put a pause on their arrival here. Presbyterian Support South Canterbury Refugee Settlement manager Fiona Jackson said, from August, about 70 refugees were expected to settle in the district. She said Timaru had settled refugees under New Zealand’s Refugee quota programme Read more
Posts Tagged ‘Syrian refugees’
Pope tells it straight to Syria’s president
Thursday, July 25th, 2019
In a hand-delivered letter, Pope Francis told Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad he is deeply concerned about the humanitarian situation in northern Syria’s Idlib region which has been the target of Russian-backed airstrikes since April. He also asked for the safe return of the millions of people displaced by years of fighting, information for the families Read more
Italian priest withdrawn for hosting Syrian refugee family
Monday, March 13th, 2017
An Italian priest has been withdrawn from his Bulgarian parish for hosting Syrian refugee family. The local community objected to his decision to host the family. Father Paulo Cortezi, who is returning to Italy, said he is now a refugee himself. “I am leaving Bulgaria with my head up, proud, innocent. “I sought to protect Read more
Archbishop of Canterbury takes in Syrian refugee family to encourage others
Tuesday, August 16th, 2016
A Syrian refugee family is being housed in an empty property in the grounds of Lambeth Palace, the archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, has confirmed. Welby and the British Home Office took the initiative in an attempt to encourage members of the public, community groups, faith groups, charities and businesses to sponsor refugee families resettling in Read more
What happened to the 12 Syrian refugees rescued by the pope?
Tuesday, May 31st, 2016
When Pope Francis saved a dozen refugees from a Lesbos detention centre and took them to Rome it was ‘like a miracle’, one of them said. A month on, what is their new life like? Ramy Alshakarji was still coming to terms with the idea that at last he was safe – he was leaving Read more
Pope rescues 12 Syrian refugees from Greek island
Tuesday, April 19th, 2016
Pope Francis has rescued 12 Syrian refugees from the Greek Island of Lesbos, which he visited to highlight the ongoing humanitarian crisis. Three refugee families, including six children, boarded the Pope’s plane for Rome at the end of his short visit on April 16. A Vatican spokesman said: “The Pope has desired to make a gesture Read more
Syria – Morally indefensible not to help where I can
Friday, September 11th, 2015
My role, as a journalist, should be to act as a witness; to report on the situation as a bystander and then leave it as I found it,” says journalist Rachel Smalley. “But an incident in 2013 changed my perspective on the Syrian crisis, and I now find it morally indefensible not to help where Read more
Empty convents should house refugees, says Pope Francis
Friday, September 13th, 2013
Pope Francis said disused church buildings should be used to house refugees, who must be embraced rather than feared. The pontiff visited asylum seekers in Rome on Tuesday, underlining his papacy’s emphasis on the poor and the plight of immigrants. Turning convents and monasteries that have emptied due to a drop in vocations into hotels Read more