22 September 2026
by Aili Winstanley Channer in The Tablet
Ahead of the World Day of Migrants and Refugees on Sunday, three charities have handed in a petition from parishes and individuals across the country calling on Andy Burnham to end the use of ‘hostility and cruel policies’ and build a more humane system for people seeking sanctuary in the UK.
The charities warned that the right to seek asylum is currently being eroded through increasingly restrictive policies and legislation that seek to criminalise people who have fled their country.
The Immigration and Asylum Bill (2026), which is currently going through Parliament, reduces family rights, undermines the asylum appeals system, and proposes charging refugees for the support they received while waiting for claims to be processed.
The charities also said that the increasingly harsh and dehumanising rhetoric in political debate has been accompanied by the absence of safe routes, the halving of refugee protection from 5 years to 30 months, and a significant increase in the use of immigration detention.
The petition, organised by the Caritas Social Action Network (CSAN), St Vincent de Paul Society and Jesuit Refugee Service (JRS) UK, urges the government to restore the right to asylum, place “dignity and protection” at the heart of the asylum system, and end immigration detention.
It brings to fruition the “Welcome the Stranger: Defend Asylum” campaign, which was launched at Pentecost by the three charities, with the support of Bishop Paul McAleenan, the lead Catholic Bishop for migrants and refugees.
“It is so encouraging that parishes, groups and individuals across the UK are calling for a different approach – rooted in humanity and dignity,” Sophie Cartwright, policy officer at JRS UK, said. “As Christians we are called to welcome refugees.”
Pope Leo XIV and Prime Minister Andy Burnham
Fiona Ranford from CSAN said Catholic communities across the UK were playing a “crucial role” in offering a supportive and welcoming response to refugees.
“But now they are calling on the UK government to play their part and change course by building a society which acknowledges the fundamental dignity of every person first – ensuring the right to asylum and to build a life for themselves and their families – rather than denying dignity based on where they were born or how they travelled to the UK.”
Meghan Lawrence from the SVP said that the SVP also witnesses first-hand “the difference that compassion, welcome and practical support can make to people who have been forced to leave their homes”.
“Every person seeking safety and sanctuary has a story, a family and a future that matters. As Catholics, we are called to welcome the stranger and to stand alongside people who are experiencing hardship and uncertainty.
“We urge the government to ensure that our asylum system upholds the dignity of every person, protects those seeking refuge and gives families the opportunity to rebuild their lives in safety.”
Pope Leo XIV said the theme for the 112th World Day of Refugees and Migrants, “Even just one of these children”, highlights the minors directly involved in the experience of migration and flight and the care owed to them.
“Every year, millions of children and adolescents are forced to leave their homeland because of war, poverty, violence, environmental disasters and other tragedies,” the Pope said in his message for Sunday. “Sadly, their number continues to grow.”
JRS told The Tablet earlier this year that a growing number of child migrants are being wrongly detained and deported from the UK, with the Home Office being found to have disbelieved unaccompanied teenage asylum seekers’ age and wrongly classified them as adults.
The Pope’s message continued: “Even just one of these children, within the horizon of the different religions, reminds us that the vulnerability of the young knows no religious boundaries and unites us in a shared humanitarian and spiritual responsibility.
“This becomes fertile ground for a concrete interreligious dialogue, in which believers, drawing upon their own sense of transcendence, cooperate in weaving networks of protection.
“Faith communities are called to create spaces in which every boy and every girl is respected and valued in his or her own cultural identity, thereby preventing the risk of radicalisation by extremist groups.
“Even just one of these children, in the context of civil institutions, calls us to reaffirm the principle of the best interests of the child. Public and private institutions are bound to prioritise the protection and dignity of every single child and adolescent.
“This requires the adoption of effective legal instruments of protection, the promotion of family reunification, and the prevention of the trauma caused by separation.
“An urgent change of perspective is needed: the focus of the debate must shift from the mere management of migration to the full and immediate protection of human rights, adopting a coordinated, supportive and effective response, capable of guaranteeing protection, welcome and genuine opportunities for integration to those who migrate.”