GLASGOW, Scotland, DEC. 17, 2012 (Zenit.org).- The Archbishop of Glasgow is calling on the British Government to show compassion to men and women seeking asylum.
Archbishop Philip Tartaglia also criticized the ‘human rights scandal’ created by policies that leave refused asylum seekers – who still believe their lives are at risk in their home countries – on the streets of Scotland without food or shelter.
Archbishop Tartaglia will make his comments tomorrow in the presence of two men who have been made destitute in Glasgow. He will then sign the Stop Destitution campaign, which was launched in October this year by Scottish Refugee Council and Refugee Survival Trust.
The campaign calls for an end to the deliberate policy in the UK of making asylum seekers destitute by stopping their support when their claim is refused.
The Archdiocese of Glasgow detailed the plight of asylum seekers in a press release sent last week.
“[Many are] evicted from their homes, not allowed the dignity of working to support themselves or to claim benefits, refused asylum seekers have no money for essentials such as food, warm clothes and toiletries. Many are destitute for years at a time but cannot return home, where their lives are in danger.
The Archbishop will sign the petition and meet two asylum seekers whose claims have been turned down and who are now destitute in Glasgow. One is a Christian fleeing persecution in Ivory Coast and the other is a law student from Pakistan fleeing the Taliban.
