U.N. official lauds church support of migrants

March 12,2014: The role of the Catholic Church is invaluable in keeping refugees safe, said the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees Antonio Guterres, but much more help is needed. Speaking to a recent meeting of the U.S. bishops' Committee on Migration and volunteers of church agencies that deal with migrants, Guterres said the church is vital to helping victims of situations such as the volatile upheaval in the Central African Republic. Although the recent conflict there is often described as a Christians versus Muslims crisis, the reality is that "religion is being used by unscrupulous political partisans," said Guterres. Several times during his March 10 meeting he said that although much of the violence in Central African Republic appears to be based upon religion, the reality is that in many hot spots there, the Catholic Church is keeping Muslims safe. Guterres said he values the church as a constant advocate for the protection of refugees and as a voice for all the world's migrants.
In response to questions from the audience, he said the issue of children who are displaced from their homes is one of the world's most vexing problems. Often children are used as sexual slaves, held for ransom payments or used by smugglers to transport drugs. He described a recently launched venture of the UNHCR, Mercy Corps, Safe the Children and World Vision that is focused on preventing a "lost generation" of Syrian children. He said the organizations are calling for the public to support protection of threatened children but also to stop the cycle of violence and support children in getting access to humanitarian assistance, education and psychological support.
Source:CNS