A cross made from wood taken from a boat used by refugees crossing the Mediterranean as they sought sanctuary in Europe is to grace the altar of the Anglican Centre in Rome. The cross was made by artist Franco Tuccio on the Italian island of Lampedusa and resembles a pastoral staff given by the artist to Pope Francis.
25 May 2016
Some 20 million people are refugees and 21 million are victims of human trafficking. St James’ Episcopal Church in Elmhurst, Queens, has held a day-conference to raise awareness of the issue and to hear from migrant workers who, having survived the clutches of human traffickers, have gone on to become advocates for other victims.
11 May 2016
The week-long biennial meeting of the General Synod of the Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand and Polynesia gets underway tomorrow (Friday) and amongst the items for debate is the report by the “Way Forward Working Group” on the blessing of same-sex marriages.
05 May 2016
It has been five years since the start of the Syrian conflict, which has displaced over 11.4 million people – half the country's pre-conflict population. Responding to the needs of children with disabilities who have fled with their families to neighbouring Jordan, the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf has been working in the Za'atari Refugee Camp since 2012, with the support of Episcopal Relief and Development.
31 March 2016
The Revd Christine Goldsmith makes regular visits to Kofinou Refugee Camp located in the Cypriot countryside 20 minutes by car from the port city of Larnaca. The curate at St Barnabas Anglican Church in Limassol, further to the west on Cyprus’s southern coast says she goes to show that someone cares and is willing to listen, and to help where she is able.
25 March 2016
The US Government has declared the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East by Daesh (the self-proclaimed “Islamic State”) as a genocide. The statement, made today by US Secretary of State John Kerry, follows similar declarations in the past few months by the Council of Europe and the European Parliament.
17 March 2016
The European Union’s political leaders are gathering in Brussels for two days of talks on the refugee crisis; and five Christian ecumenical organisations have used the occasion to write to the EU’s leaders calling for stronger action.
17 March 2016
Max McClellan, the United Society’s co-ordinator in Greece, writes an in-depth report on how church groups and charities are supporting refugees following their arrival on the Greek islands.
08 March 2016
The Archbishop of Canterbury visited a refugee camp in Rwanda on Sunday, after a three-day visit to Burundi to show solidarity with Anglicans and pray for peace and reconciliation. Archbishop Justin Welby toured the Mahama Camp in the Kibungo Diocese of Rwanda, where almost 50,000 refugees – all from Burundi – have fled.
08 March 2016
An in-depth report from Church Times’ reporter Madeleine Davies, who met with people fleeing the violence in Syria and those supporting them during a visit to refugee camps in Lebanon and Jordan.
04 March 2016