24.11.2016
Dublin & Glendalough Clergy Visit Refugee Centre in Rome
Clergy from Dublin & Glendalough visited the Nafuma Refugee Centre in Rome yesterday (Wednesday November 23). The centre (pictured) is run in part of the Episcopalian Church of St Paul Within the Walls in Rome and has been operational for 30 years.
Clergy learned of the genesis of the project, of its funding and its daily life. They also learned of the strength and the sensitivities needed to sustain this work not least as Italy is one of the countries in which refugees frequently arrive and are ‘Dublined’ – that is registered at their first point of entry into Europe. While they may travel further into Northern Europe many of them may soon find themselves, for a series of complicated reasons, back in Italy after being removed from another European country and ‘re–Dublined.’
“The perspective of the staff and volunteers was inspiring and the conversations with refugees from a wide range of countries across the globe were unforgettable. Their honesty and sense of hope point to the inspirational spirit of the human person in the face of incalculable adversities and obstacles,” Archbishop Michael Jackson commented afterwards.
Clergy from Dublin & Glendalough have been on retreat in Rome.