Cardinal Maradiaga backs Pope's call for greater protection of refugees

Vatican Radio ^ | 2013-07-09 | Vatican Radio

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(Vatican Radio) Caritas Internationalis President Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga has released a statement backing Pope Francis’ call to welcome refugees as our brothers and sisters.

Cardinal Maradiaga issued his statement on Monday 8 July, the day in which Pope Francis journeyed to the Island of Lampedusa, the landing point of tens of thousands of migrants trying to reach Europe in hope of a better future.

Please find below the full text of the statement issued by Caritas Internationalis:

“The Pope’s visit to Lampedusa reminded us of the plight of millions of refugees around the world. Religious leaders and faith based organisations have a key role to play in making sure those refugees are treated with dignity and compassion. We must welcome all refugees as our brothers and sisters.”

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Cardinal Oscar Rodriguez Maradiaga has joined the UN refugee agency and representatives of other faith-based organisations to call for greater protection for refugees The declaration, known as an Affirmation of Welcome, is the first to involve UNHCR and a spectrum of faith-based organisations.

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In November of this year, the declaration will be launched formally at the King Abdullah International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue in Vienna, in a conference organised by Religions for Peace bringing together over 400 faith leaders from around the world.

Other organisations that have been involved include the office of the Archbishop of Canterbury, Jesuit Refugee Service, the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies, the University of Vienna Faculty of Roman Catholic Theology, the World Council of Churches, the World Evangelical Alliance and World Vision International.

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Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga

"Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga, in a May 2002 interview with the Italian-Catholic publication 30 Giorni, claimed that in order to divert attention from the Israeli-Palestinian crisis; Jews influenced the media to exploit the current controversy regarding sexual abuse by Catholic priests. This provoked outrage from the anti-Defamation League.[10]"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/%C3%93scar_Andr%C3%A9s_Rodr%C3%ADguez_Maradiaga#Views

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http://archive.adl.org/PresRele/ASInt_13/4135_13.asp