
Thousands of refugees who have fled war and persecution arrive in European countries, desperate for a life of dignity and safety.
European member churches are on the streets of European capitals with blankets, food, shelter, clothes and first aid kits to help their neighbor in need.
The LWF is calling on political leaders to uphold their duty to protect the vulnerable, which European states have committed to as signatories of the Refugee Convention.
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Lutheran Bishop Dr Tamás Fabiny likens the march of thousands of refugees from Budapest to Austria to the struggle for racial equality in the United States or opposition to apartheid in South Africa.
LWF member churches in Europe continue to advocate for and extend hospitality to thousands of asylum seekers fleeing into the region mainly from Syria and other conflict affected countries in the Middle East.
LWF member churches outside Europe are expressing their solidarity with churches receiving refugees in the region through ongoing prayers, additional financial support and advocacy to governments.
A wave of solidarity has met refugees from Syria and other countries as they have made their way to Europe. European member churches have responded in many cities and spontaneously organized help.
The situation is especially challenging in train stations, where thousands of refugees were either arriving or waiting to board a train this week. Church initiatives were among many others to welcome refugees and provide first assistance.
11 September 2015
Photos by ELCB, ELCH/ Zsusanna Horvath-Bolla, epdÖ/Uschmann
Heinrich Bedform-Strohm (left), bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria (ELCB), and Kardinal reinhard Marx of the archdiocese Munich (left) support the welcome to refugees at the main train station in Munich.
Bishop Bedford-Strohm helps distribute water to the new arrivals. Like the ELCB, many other German member churches have also distributed relief goods and provided housing for refugees.
Food for distribution in the trunk of a car belonging to Diakonia Hungary. Thousands of refugees camped at public places and on train stations on their way to Northern Europe.
Diakonia, Hungarian Interchurch Aid and the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Hungary (ELCH) are distributing hot meals at public places, where refugees have been camping in the open the past weeks.
Pastors and employees of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary office together with presiding bishop Péter Gáncs, curator Gergely Prőhle and the bishop responsible for foreign affairs, Dr. Tamás Fabiny.
The bishops assisted local aid agencies in handing out hot meals to refugees on a main square of Budapest.
Gesture of welcome: A boy from Hungary hands a lollipop to a refugee child.
Refugees camping in the reception center in the Austrian town of Traiskirchen, half an hour from Vienna. Traiskirchen’s refugee reception center which has hosted refugees for years is experiencing a massive influx of new arrivals.
Like in many other European towns, people in and around Traiskirchen have donated toys, clothing and food.
Support LWF member churches’ work among refugees in Europe. The LWF is running a program through its member church in Italy offering psychosocial support to refugees, collecting funds for the immediate need in central Europe and planning capacity building for member churches to respond to the refugee crisis. To offer support, please donate through your church or alternatively, through the Lutheran World Federation.
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