[Anglican Alliance] The Anglican Alliance has asked churches worldwide to pray for refugees and migrants risking their lives to reach Europe by crossing the Mediterranean Sea in unsafe, overcrowded vessels.

The Alliance underlined the need to seek solutions to the poverty and armed conflicts that drive so many to make these perilous sea crossings in search of another life.

In the latest boat disaster, on the night of 18-19 April, it is estimated that only 28 survivors were able to be rescued off the coast of Libya from a vessel carrying more than 700 migrants and refugees.

Immediately following that tragedy, a small craft carrying about 80 migrants ran aground off the coast of Rhodes in Greece with at least three people reported dead.

UNHCR estimates that so far in 2015, more than 36,000 refugees and migrants have arrived in southern Europe by boat and – if the numbers from the latest disaster are confirmed – over 1,600 have died. In 2014, around 219,000 people crossed the Mediterranean, and 3,500 lives were lost.

"This disaster confirms how urgent it is to restore a robust rescue-at-sea operation and establish credible legal avenues to reach Europe. Otherwise people seeking safety will continue to perish at sea, but it also points to the need for a comprehensive [European] approach to address the root causes that drive so many people to this tragic end,” said UN High Commissioner for Refugees, António Guterres.

Hospitality in the heart of Rome

Around the Anglican Communion, churches are responding to the situation with prayer and with practical action. One remarkable response is to be found at St. Paul’s Within the Walls Episcopal Church in Rome, Italy.

The Joel Nafuma Refugee Center (JNRC) is a day centre for refugees housed at this Episcopal church in the heart of Rome. 

The centre opens its doors to over 200 guests each weekday, from morning to early afternoon.  It currently registers about 350 new guests per month. Over recent years it has seen a rapid rise in the number of refugees requesting assistance.

The scope of services offered ranges from basic assistance to settlement support, and aims to address the needs of the whole person - from breakfast and essentials such as razors, toothbrushes, and clothing to leisure activities, language classes, psychotherapy and legal support. An interfaith prayer space provides room to address spiritual needs.  

Staff and volunteers accompany guests in their struggle to rebuild their lives, both those newly arrived and those who are starting anew in Italy.

JNRC also strives to make visible the plight of their guests.

On 24 April, the centre will hold a vigil to recognise and honour the lives of all migrants who seek safer and more peaceful lives. They will be constructing a giant peace flag to fly from the church tower to symbolise their commitment to “welcome the stranger” and to honour those whose lives have been lost.

Notes

- Share your prayers for refugees and migrants on the prayer wall of the Anglican Communion website.

- JNRC needs volunteers and support to continue its inspiring work to offer radical hospitality to refugees in the heart of Rome.

- Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby spoke to the BBC about the coordinated action the international community could take to end the humanitarian crises in the Mediterranean.