Jesuits explain role with immigrants

Working with refugees was one of the priorities of Jesuits on a global level, Maltese Jesuits provincial Paul Chetcuti said, adding that the Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) International sought to work with those most in need.

Fr Chetcuti was reacting to comments about the role of the JRS vis-à-vis illegal immigrants in Malta.

He explained that when JRS Malta was established 12 years ago, there was no organisation that offered legal aid to asylum seekers who were seeking refugee status and the JRS sought to fill this void.

The JRS offered a social worker service at detention camps and within the community as well as pastoral and spiritual help to detained asylum seekers. Through its legal experience, the JRS was able to make a contribution to the setting up of the refugee law in 2000. A number of other organisations working in the sector asked the JRS for legal assistance.

The JRS, Fr Chetcuti added, worked to get unaccompanied minors out of detention camps. He said it was not the first time that Jesuit homes took in refugees while their children were allowed to study at the Jesuit college. Jesuit communities also helped refugees pay their rent.

"We Jesuits know this is a serious problem all over the world and more so in a small country which is carrying a big burden. We appreciate the efforts being made. The fact remains that the problem is bigger than us," he said.

At the same time, Fr Chetcuti said, the Jesuits believed that a solution could only be found through agreements and solidarity, both on a national and international level. He said anybody who instilled the seeds of racism would be creating bigger problems for Maltese society.

"A solution can only be found through the proper respect for the dignity and rights of individuals, irrespective of their race," he said.