The LWF Communion response
“Duty to protect refugees is not only a moral obligation”
The current refugee crisis in Europe is a pivotal moment in which churches can demonstate values of solidarity and human dignity, the LWF General Secretary Rev. Dr Martin Junge has said in a letter to LWF member churches in Europe on 4 September 2015.
“What have you done or failed to do for one of these?”
Finnish Archbishop Kari Mäkinen has called for solidarity with refugees and encouraged parishes to raise their mission and diakonia allocations.
European member churches respond to refugee crisis
With thousands of refugees arriving in Hungary every day, the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Hungary (ELCH) has mobilized resources and volunteers to provide help to refugees in Hungary and in Budapest especially.
Walking with refugees: the church amid the refugee crisis in Europe
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.
Welcoming churches for thousands “outside the gates of Europe”
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.
Refugee crisis: Churches in other LWF regions express solidarity with Europe
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.
Photo gallery: European refugee crisis
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.
Welcoming the Stranger
Welcoming the Stranger: Affirmations for Faith Leaders is the culmination of a High Commissioner’s Dialogue on Faith and Protection convened in December 2012 by UNHCR chief, Mr António Guterres, and attended by representatives of major faith groups and academics.
The text of the declaration draws upon principles and values of welcome that are deeply rooted in all major religions including Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam and Judaism. It is expected to be used worldwide to foster support for refugees and other people displaced in their communities. (Read More)
Support
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.
Resources on Refugees
