This year we are urged to read and reflect on the Australian Catholic Bishops Statement entitled – “For Those Who’ve Come Across The Seas.”. At this time, let us re-examine our responses to refugees and asylum seekers. There are currently nearly 60 million people around the world who are displaced from their homes and of the war and violence that are devastating countries in the Middle East, Africa and Asia. When people come to us seeking refuge, can we in conscience respond to them with cruel and self-defeating policies such as offshore processing and indefinite detention?
