THE ASSOCIATION OF HEADS OF CHURCHES
OF WESTERN AUSTRALIA
C/- Council of Churches of WA PO Box 831 Scarborough WA 6922
Phone 08 9385 5477 Fax 08 9385 5644
Email: / Press Release
For Release
27th August 2003
Pastoral Letter to Christians contemplating offering the ministry of sanctuary to refugees

The Heads of Churches in Western Australia, the undersigned, to those Christians who are contemplating offering the ministry of sanctuary to refugees in our community:

We believe that:

·  All Christians are obligated by the will of God to seek to ensure that people’s basic needs for food, clothes, shelter and safety are met (Matt 25:35-40)

·  Christians uphold the principle that each and every person is made in the image of God and therefore worthy of love and respect (Gen 1:26) and

·  Jesus teaches us that love transforms ‘strangers’ into neighbours who are welcome with us at the feast of God’s reign (Luke 10:25-37 and 14:12-24) and

·  The abundant resources available to the Australian Government should be regarded as a trust from God to serve the needs of all, especially the most vulnerable of people (Ps 24:1):

We therefore assert that our love for our neighbours requires us to seek a more compassionate response for those who seek refuge in Australia.

We commit ourselves, and call our congregations to commit to

·  prayer for asylum seekers and holders of temporary protection visas

·  seeking community with them in our neighbourhoods, and where possible in immigration detention centres

·  working towards an end to the policy of mandatory detention of asylum seekers, replacing it with a more humane and respectful solution

·  working towards an end to temporary protection, substituting permanent protection and the genuine hope of a new life for people found to be refugees

·  lobbying for an end to the Pacific Solution and the development of a transparent and just process of assessment under Australian law;

·  working for a spirit of generosity to the hallmark of Australia’s response to those who seek refuge here

·  lobbying for a change of emphasis from spending large sums on border protection to diverting funds to UNHCR to assist displaced people in refugee camps and help neighbouring states provide effective protection.

Furthermore we recognise that there may be members of our Christian congregations, who, through prayer and reflection, decide that they must obey the teachings of Jesus and offer sanctuary to asylum seekers currently on TPVs in the community who are in danger of being deported from Australia. We acknowledge and affirm that being called to the ministry of sanctuary has many profound precedents in the history of the Christian Church and a biblical analogy in the provision of ‘cities of refuge’ (Joshua 20).

Signed by:

Bishop Brian Farran / Assistant Bishop, Northern Region, Anglican Diocese of Perth
Bishop David McCall / Anglican Diocese of Bunbury
Archbishop Peter Carnley / Anglican Primate, Archbishop of the Anglican Diocese of Perth,
Rosemary Longhurst / Clerk, Society of Friends
Pr Barry Austin / Executive Minister, Churches of Christ in WA
Revd Geoff Burger / President, Lutheran Church WA
Revd Gemmel Sherwood / Moderator, Uniting Church in Australia WA Synod
Lt Col Graham Durston, / Divisional Commander Salvation Army
Fr Abram Abdelmalek / Coptic Orthodox Church, Diocese of Melbourne and Affiliated Regions, Church of St Mary and the Archangel Michael, Perth WA.

Heads of Churches of WA