Archbishop Heße warns against false promises in asylum debate

Refugee Bishop Stefan Heße calls for more prudence in dealing with migration. "In the heated asylum debate, one harsh proposal outstrips the other," writes the Archbishop of Hamburg in a guest article in the newspapers of the Osnabrück-based publishing group Bistumspresse (Sunday). "Some are not even stopping at fundamental rights such as the individual right to asylum. Emotions are being played on and quick and easy solutions are being promised. It is extremely dangerous to raise false expectations," said the Chairman of the Migration Commission of the German Bishops' Conference.

Instead of tightening new laws, Heße believes that existing laws must be implemented better than before - at national and European level. It is also important to extend the prospects for people who are already well integrated to stay. In particular, it is important to effectively support host municipalities. Bureaucratic hurdles must be removed in order to facilitate integration in the labour market, for example. "Because we are also seeing this in church refugee aid: People who are looking for a new home here want to integrate."

"Refugees are not social parasites"

Heße calls for populist prejudices to be dispelled - such as the claim that refugees are primarily "social parasites" or young, "work-shy" men. "The fact is: whether women, children, young men or families - people who leave their homeland usually have very serious reasons for doing so."

According to the bishop, there are more people on the run worldwide than ever before - fleeing violence, war and inhumane conditions. "Every day, we receive images from the Middle East, Ukraine, Sudan and many other regions that make this painfully clear to us. Supposedly deterrent hardships such as reduced social benefits, stricter deportation measures or national compartmentalisation are demonstrably not preventing these people from fleeing." (KNA)