Bishop John Kirby, of the Bishops’ Council for Emigrants The Direct Provision service for asylum seekers is “very unsatisfactory” and the system needs to be more respectful according to the Bishop of Clonfert.
Bishop John Kirby, of the Bishops’ Council for Emigrants, spoke at a Mass in London celebrating the 60th anniversary of the Irish Chaplaincy Service in England, set up as Irish priests travelled to England to give pastoral care to Irish people who migrated.
He said: “Pope Francis, himself the son of Italian migrants to Argentina, has a great concern for suffering migrant people.
“If we take the Gospel seriously, the care of migrants has to place high on all our plans.” He also highlighted Ireland’s history of emigration.