Jesuits call for EU solidarity and 'truly accessible' asylum

European Jesuits have called on the EU to take "urgent action" on immigration because the humanitarian issue "cannot be resolved in Malta or the southern border states alone".

They added that asylum in Europe should be "truly accessible" and that "forced migrants" should be dealt with more justly and humanely.

In a joint statement at the end of its annual general assembly, which was this year held in Malta, the Jesuits, who run a refugee service on the island, called on the EU to take action in three ways.

They said the EU should show effective solidarity with those seeking protection, help over-burdened states with their human rights' obligations and strengthen partnerships with African states to sustain more dignified lives.

"Equally, it is a challenge to the whole of European society to confront the fear and xenophobia that sometimes underlies the utter resistance to the claims of migrants," they said.

The increasing inaccessibility of Europe to persons who urgently needed protection obliged thousands of men, women and children to risk their lives by crossing the sea on small, fragile boats, often with tragic consequences.

Speaking about the situation in Malta, the Jesuits said: "Except in the most desperate and vulnerable cases, they are then held in prolonged detention, in conditions that deepen previous suffering. If they succeed in gaining international protection, they still face untold difficulties, stemming from overcrowding, from Malta's very limited capacity to receive them and from the scarcity of employment opportunities."

Meanwhile, the Jesuits' superior general, Fr Adolfo Nicolás, yesterday told University students that no matter what Malta, or other countries, did to help refugees and immigrants, it would never be enough.

"Refugees in Malta suffer like all the refugees anywhere in the world. No matter how you treat them, the starting situation is alienation from their own country and their own family," he told University students after celebrating Mass at the campus chapel yesterday.

During a visit to Lyster Barracks earlier, Fr Nicolás met immigrants, mainly from Somalia, who are concerned about the families they left behind.

"One of them had just learnt that his wife, with two young children, had to leave the house because of fighting in the area," he said.

He said immigrants were totally at the mercy of others, but he was comforted to see that those who were showing him around were trying to minimise the suffering of migrants.

Fr Nicolás said these migrants came from different cultures and background and needed education so they could contribute to society.

In his homily, Fr Nicolás, who spent many years living in Asia, said University students were privileged, unlike migrants.

However, he said, education did not make one a master, but brought with it new responsibilities.

"We are not called to rule others but to serve," he said, adding that education opened many doors.