Parishes’ move to adopt refugee families should serve to mobilise the entire community to heed the Pope’s appeal, not just parish priests, according to clergy who spoke with this newspaper.

On Sunday, Pope Francis called on every European parish and religious community to take in one migrant family each in a gesture of solidarity, which he said would start in the tiny Vatican City where he lived.

His call goes out to tens of thousands of Catholic parishes in Europe as the number of refugees arriving over land through the Balkans and across the Mediterranean hits unprecedented levels.

“Every parish, every religious community, every monastery, every sanctuary of Europe, take in one family,” he said, to loud applause from those gathered in St Peter’s Square.

Priests from various parishes said they saw his appeal as a step in the right direction. While optimistic, they felt guidance would be crucial to establish how the logistics would work.

Fr Joe Borg, a university lecturer and columnist who in the past has provided shelter for migrants in his home, insisted that parishes should ensure that they instilled a sense of independence in the refugee families and steered clear of promoting a culture of dependency.

“There are various ways parishes can go about this. They can rent out a flat for the refugee family, provide some basic necessities and stop there, or they can go beyond that.

“If the family is Muslim and they wish to have a place where they can pray, show them how to get the mosque in Paola. Teach them about Malta,” Fr Borg said.

The appeal was welcomed, he said, as it had an impact on various communities all over the world, not just Catholic.

“After the Pope’s appeal, communities in countries like Hungary have initiated discussions on the matter. Before, they were not even addressing the issue,” Fr Borg said, also pointed out that the Church in Malta had been actively adopting refugee families for years.

Last week, Archbishop Charles Scicluna said that the Emigrants’ Commission of the Archdiocese of Malta had for years accommodated 400 migrants in 14 residences.

Following the Pope’s appeal, the Gozo Diocese recalled in a statement how Bishop Mario Grech last year urged parishes in Gozo to host a family of persecuted Christian migrants. Talks have since been held with Patriarch Mar Louis Raphaël I Sako of Iraq and the appeal for hospitality was renewed.

I’ve also noted that Syrians are more readily accepted. Maybe it’s because their skin colour is more similar to ours and if that’s the case, it’s very worrying

The adopted families should also be able to benefit from a number of services offered by the Church. Such services are already available to families who are in need.

Fr Stefan Attard, from the St Julian’s parish, said every priest would have to look at the specific parish and establish what could be done as not all communities were alike.

“I don’t think you can have one single plan for everybody. A think-tank coordinated by the Archbishop would be useful, as every parish priest could share his ideas and experiences and then implement them accordingly,” he said.

By leading by example, the Pope’s call seems to have had a greater impact, Fr Attard said.

On Sunday, the Pope said that the Vatican’s two parishes would be taking in a family of refugees each.

“Pope Francis is putting the Church’s teachings into practice, something that was missing for a long time.”

While a sense of enthusiasm was noted in many after the Pope’s appeal, the Żebbug parish priest, Fr Daniel Cardona, said he still met some who said they were scared of having refugee families integrate within the community.

“In Żebbug there are more than 20 households with refugee families and they’re welcomed by most people.

“But I’m sorry to say that whenever integration is brought up, I still feel this is met with a sense of fear.

“I’ve also noted that Syrians are more readily accepted. Maybe it’s because their skin colour is similar to ours and if that’s the case, it’s very worrying.

“As a parish, we will do whatever we can to help and I will continue to work hard to eradicate this mentality.”

Meanwhile, councillors in Birżebbuġa and Sliema will be proposing that their local council adopts a Syrian refugee family.

“If every local council in our country does the same, we will be sending a strong sign of the solidarity the Maltese are renowned for to the rest of Europe,” Birżebbuġa councillor Hermann Schiavone said on Facebook.