Refugees at Christmas
Posted on 22. Dec, 2016, in UncategorizedComments Off on Refugees at Christmas
The original story of Christmas was one of refugees fleeing danger and being turned away from every door. A story which unfortunately continues today. John Guiney, director of the Jesuit Centre for Faith and Justice and former Jesuit Refugee Services Regional Director for East Africa, has spent years working with refugees around the world. He was recently at a meeting in Rome along with Fr. Victor Assoud, a Jesuit, born and ordained in Aleppo, to look at the plight of people in Syria.
John said, “Victor reported that the Jesuits continue to be in Aleppo giving food to the hungry and offering every support they can to the suffering people…a real light of hope in the darkness.” In this interview with Miriam Gormally he says that people in better off and more peaceful countries need to heed the call of those looking for safe shelter. He added that the response of Irish people in general has been very generous, with some even offering houses, the government is slower to follow.