It can be the greyest of days, or it might be raining or freezing cold, but around 30 people faithfully gather each month for an hour-long prayer vigil for refugees outside the UK Government’s Home Office in London. The next street vigil is on Monday the 16th June, the beginning of Refugee Week 16th-22nd June 2025. Christian Justice and Peace organisations organise this public witness, now in its fourth year, to commemorate the thousands of refugees who have died trying to reach a place of safety in Europe. Columbans have supported this vigil from the beginning.
Last year, 82 people died attempting to cross the English Channel in small boats, including 14 children. This month’s vigil is of particular significance as it takes place during Refugee Week, and Bishop Paul McAleenan, the lead Bishop for Migrants and Refugees for the Bishops of England and Wales, is speaking. He has long called for compassionate policies, opposing immigration systems which threaten to destroy hope, which divide people into categories, giving different rights to each category.
Pope Francis gave active leadership on refugee rights. And Pope Leo has already signalled support for migrants. In a meeting with diplomats in Rome recently, he said that the dignity of migrants has to be respected, reminding his audience that he’s the descendant of immigrants.
In Scotland, on Sunday the 15th June, Archbishop William Nolan, the President of Justice and Peace Scotland, joined a peaceful witness outside Dungavel Immigration Removal Centre near Glasgow, calling for an end to indefinite immigration detention in the UK. The Church’s Catholic Social Teaching calls for every person to be treated with dignity, yet in detention centres like Dungavel, people are held in prison‑like conditions with no set time limit and no clear idea of when they will be released. This prolonged uncertainty takes a considerable toll on mental wellbeing, disconnects people from their families and communities, and can amplify pre-existing stress or trauma. So, in the UK, key calls are for safe routes to claim asylum and an end to immigration detention.
Across the world, millions of desperate people continue to take dangerous routes on foot or by sea and road, to find a safer life, and tragically, a significant proportion meet their deaths. Why do they do it? Refugee status isn’t just a legal label. It means safety. It means dignity. It means being able to work, study and plan for a future again.
Internationally, accompanying migrants and refugees is one of the Columban Missionary Society’s core mission priorities. Inspired by our Catholic faith and the Gospel call to welcome the stranger, we are committed to building communities of compassion, justice and inclusion. Whether offering shelter and solidarity to destitute asylum seekers at Fatima House in Birmingham, UK, standing alongside displaced families at the US-Mexico border, or advocating for migrant rights in Taiwan, Columbans accompany displaced people, recognising their dignity, resilience and the gifts they bring.
During Refugee Week, international campaigning work will remind us that refugees flee their own countries because they are at risk of serious human right violations and persecution there. This week the UN announced that the number of people displaced by war, violence and persecution is around 122 million and rising. Also, on a warming planet, cross-border migration will rise and estimates project that around 200 million people will be displaced by the middle of the century due to climate change. Refugees have a right to international protection under international law. The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 14)states that everyone has the right to seek and find asylum in other countries.
The UK and the U.S. are two countries where it is getting harder to claim asylum because of an ever-increasing hostile government. In the UK, Columban Co-worker James Trewby works with schools to nurture ‘welcoming the stranger’. He has led ‘encounter’ gatherings for Catholic headteachers and asylum seekers where a transformative residential experience has included asylum seekers courageously sharing their stories of hardship, resilience, and hope. Then follow-up visits to schools have provided staff and pupils with valuable insights into the experiences of asylum seekers, fostering empathy, awareness and a sense of global responsibility among young learners.
Columbans in Britain were recently among more than 350 organisations, including religious groups and migrant and refugee groups in the UK, to sign a pledge to work together to combat “the politics of division”. The statement, ‘This is an island of solidarity, not strangers,’ was organised by the charity Asylum Matters. The groups challenged anti-migrant sentiment by celebrating the “meaningful and enduring contributions” of those who’ve migrated, and highlighting their “inherent right” to “peace, dignity and hope”. They condemned “the recent rhetoric of the Prime Minister, irresponsible politicians and that of the far-right” and have committed to working together to “build a movement of solidarity and resistance that protects and defends the rights of all people.” The recent immigration white paper was said to feature, “cruel measures to make it harder for people to settle and barring people from bringing their skills to this country to do vital work.”
