Archbishop William Nolan, Archbishop of Glasgow, and Rev. Sally-Foster Fulton, Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, have signed a declaration prepared by Justice & Peace Scotland, SCIAF, and the Church of Scotland to mark the occasion of Fr Gabriel Romanelli’s visit to Glasgow. Fr Gabriel is the parish priest of the only Catholic church in Gaza, the parish of the Holy Family, and he visited Scotland on Friday April 26th to share his testimony and wishes for peace amidst the ongoing violence in The Holy Land.

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On the occasion of Fr Gabriel Romanelli’s visit to Glasgow on 26th April 2024, we, the undersigned, express our solidarity with the people of the Holy Family Parish in Gaza, the Christian community of the Holy Land and people of all faiths and none across the region tormented by war.

In recent months, millions of innocent people have suffered the consequences of violence and war. Families and communities have been devastated. Many have lost hope for a peaceful future. Men, women and children have been robbed of their innate human dignity and their right to survive and thrive. Our cry is “Enough is enough”.

• We stand shoulder to shoulder with our brothers and sisters in Christ in Gaza and across the Holy Land. May they feel our solidarity and Jesus’ loving embrace.
• We stand in solidarity with all the sons and daughters of Abraham, the peoples of Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths in the Holy Land, that all may know deep peace and reconciliation in their lifetimes.
• We stand in support of agencies and individuals who are serving those suffering at their time of greatest need. May they be rewarded for their courage and compassion.
• We stand united with all people of good will who are campaigning for an end to this violence. May we never lose hope and may our resolve not falter.
• We stand together as disciples of Jesus Christ, who, in the very lands that are lacerated by hostility and violence today, called on his followers to be peacemakers. In the name of God, we call for an end to war, closure of heart and hatred to be replaced with dialogue, reconciliation, and peace.

Today we cry out to all people in positions of power to end this senseless violence. We pray to Almighty God that their hearts may be turned towards compassion, and that they may have the courage and wisdom to pursue the path of justice and peace for all who call the Holy Land home.

The Safety of Rwanda bill is cruel and immoral. Justice & Peace Scotland firmly oppose its approach. Read our statement in full below and share to encourage others to continue to advocate for more humane approaches to asylum and immigration.

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Justice & Peace Scotland are dismayed at the passing of the Safety of Rwanda Bill. This marks a terrible day for the upholding of international law, respect for human rights, and the progression of UK politics. Refugees and all who come to our shores are made in the image and likeness of God and should be treated with the dignity they deserve, not cruelty and inhumanity.

The Rwanda scheme would enable the Government to forcibly expel people seeking asylum - including children, torture survivors, and victims of war – putting them at grave risk of further harm and human rights abuses. People will be removed to a country they have no connection to, despite the ruling of our own country's Supreme Court that it is unsafe for them.

It is a human right to seek asylum and those who come to the decision to leave their homes behind do not make the choice lightly. Human beings seeking asylum or migrating for a better life do so because of problems that other human beings create: they move because of violence, war, torture, oppression, persecution, political instability, poverty, hunger, and ultimately because they have no alternative. The passing of this morally questionable act, that serves to only further traumatise some of the most vulnerable members of society, betrays who we are as a nation that has historically provided refuge to those in need, and undermines long-standing UK values of hospitality, welcome, friendship, and compassion.

The Rwanda scheme evidences a blatant disregard for international law as it violates the UK’s international legal obligations as a state party to the Refugee Convention. Protecting refugees requires cooperation and responsibility sharing from all countries, not just those adjacent to crisis zones, as clearly defined in the Convention and its associated legal instruments. The UK government, instead of continuing to sow seeds of division and hostility, should be pursuing practical measures to address irregular flows of refugees and migrants, based on international cooperation and respect for international human rights law.

In place of this inhumane and cruel policy, we echo calls for a new plan for supporting refugees and an approach to asylum in the UK that is fair, kind, and gets the system working again for everyone. Specifically, we call for hospitable alternatives to the Rwanda plan that will safeguard refugees and their rights such as provision of a humanitarian visa scheme, allowing people to travel easily and access protection quickly; the expansion and better management of country resettlement schemes, such as those implemented for Syrians and Ukrainians; and the opportunity for those in need to apply for asylum before arriving in the UK, all of which would eliminate the need for people to travel here via irregular means.