JRS-Germany criticizes asylum regulations  in Germany.

Berlin - The Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) has sharply criticized the asylum regulations of recent months in Germany. They obstruct the commitment of hundreds of thousands of helpers who fought for the integration of refugees, said Fr. Frido Pflüger SJ, the JRS Director for Germany, at a press-conference in Berlin. He pointed out that this was particularly fatal for many of the Syrian refugees. "This is a tragedy for the affected families, pushing people into the arms of smugglers and harming integration," emphasized Pflüger

Br. Dieter Müller SJ, JRS refugee expert from Munich, informed, that the Jesuits now also provide social counseling for refugees. It will be offered in a local accommodation of 180 asylum seekers in the outskirts of Munich. The Munich School of Philosophy accompanies the project voluntarily and scientifically. According to Dieter Müller, the JRS also helps around 90 refugees, who are in the so called “church asylum” in Bavaria, and provides pastoral care for deportation detainees.

The JRS also supports Syrian refugees during commemorative walks for Fr. Frans van der Lugt SJ, who was murdered in 2014 in the city of Homs. Those walks had a total of 300 participants this year in Berlin and Dresden.

Photo: The Syrian organizers of the commemorative walk for Father van der Lugt
© JRS / Christian Ender