Refugees must respect the laws of host countries, says bishop

Refugees fleeing great hardship and violence, and coming to Europe must respect the values, law and traditions of the host countries, a Catholic bishop has urged.

Bishop of Cork and Ross John Buckley said the vast majority of those seeking refuge in Europe were good and law abiding people but the refugee crisis was one was threatening to destabilise governments across Europe.

"Refugees must respect the values and laws of the host countries. Ireland and Europe must address this question as a matter of urgency while respecting the need to follow proper procedure and security checks," he said in a wide ranging statement, which addressed the various issues facing the Irish electorate in the forthcoming general election.

Bishop Buckley said the vulnerable had felt the brunt of austerity more than most and there was now a clear choice emerging for voters as to whether they wanted a reduction in taxes or an increase in funding for vital services such as health care and security.

“The media has consistently drawn our attention to the issue of an overcrowded, understaffed healthcare system where elderly patients and those who are chronically ill are consigned to endless queues and trollies on corridors. This denies the dignity of the human person,” he said.

Bishop Buckley also addressed unemployment, noting that it was “tracing deep furrows in the hearts of the people” and as a result of the lack of jobs, especially for young people, more than 200,000 people have emigrated from Ireland during the past six years.

“The scandal of homelessness is now at crisis point and is particularly distressing in relation to children who find themselves in hostels and hotels while trying to continue with their primary and post primary education,” he said.

“We now have more homeless than at any other time in modern history. There is no moral justification for a lack of housing. It is an issue that demands investment,” Bishop Buckley said.

He added that there was now a new poor whose plight must be addressed by the new government.

“The regional co-ordination of the Society of Saint Vincent de Paul told me recently that they are dealing with a cohort of new poor, many of whom were contributors to the charity in the past. Many of those on low incomes are in a similar situation,” he said.

Turning to matters in his own diocese, which includes both Cork city and most of West Cork, Bishop Buckley pointed out that floods in December had caused much heartbreak and financial ruin for many and people were looking to their politicians for assistance.

“The much celebrated economic recovery is not as evident in parts of Cork as it might be elsewhere. Tourism and initiatives like the Wild Atlantic Way represent an important injection of capital into many rural areas,” Bishop Buckley said.

“The future of Cork Airport is critical for the economic wellbeing as well as industrial and tourism enterprises in the county. Over the past few years, Cork’s links to Europe have been reduced and there seems to be no progress on an American link,” he said.