Posts Tagged ‘Syrian refugees’

More refugees bound for Timaru in August

Thursday, June 24th, 2021

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

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Italian priest withdrawn for hosting Syrian refugee family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An Italian priest has been withdrawn from his Bulgarian parish for hosting Syrian refugee family.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