Bishop Angaelos and Bishop David Hamid talking to support workers at the Greece / Macedonia border
A small group of CTBI trustees and staff visited Greece 15-16 September 2015, facilitated by CCME (Churches Commission for Migrants in Europe) and the Anglican Chaplain in Athens.
The group witnessed the situation at the Greece/Macedonia border where refugees are congregating and visited various partners and agencies in Athens, and other refugee reception centres. They met, amongst others, the British Ambassador and the head of UNHCR in Greece.
The group was led by Bishop Angaelos and Bishop David Hamid, along with Cecilia Taylor-Camara from the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, and Aled Edwards the CEO of Cytun, both of whom have particular expertise in the field of migration/refugees. Staff from CTBI were the General Secretary, Revd Bob Fyffe, and Christine Elliott, Director of World Church Programmes.
As well as expressing solidarity with the churches and agencies working in Greece, the group aimed to return home with a better understanding of how the churches here should respond.
All the events were posted to the CTBI twitter stream and Facebook page. Below is a digest of posts (most recent first):
Meeting with Greek Interior Minister
#Greece Interior Minister commenting on #RefugeeCrisis #BorderClosures: ‘When people are running from #ISIS, no wall will stop them’ @CTBI
— Bishop Angaelos (@BishopAngaelos) September 16, 2015
Ionnis mouzalas, Greece interior minister: ‘we will not turn our country into a a big detention camp’ #refugeecrisis pic.twitter.com/kmTNDhBDC6
— CTBI (@CTBI) September 16, 2015
Meeting with British Ambassador and UNHCR Greece
‘We’re the soul of our communities. We should bear witness’ Nigerian, Greek, british Christians united #refugeecrisis pic.twitter.com/hB4qKgcUnk
— CTBI (@CTBI) September 16, 2015
‘A transit camp in Kos, with registration point, and transport ships; we need this now’ Alex @UNHCRGreece #refugees pic.twitter.com/vBUiQAFKuf — CTBI (@CTBI) September 16, 2015
‘The common denominator is human dignity. Church is the biggest NGO in world’ @BishopAngaelos @eurobishop #refugees pic.twitter.com/lMBY4KHCTF — CTBI (@CTBI) September 16, 2015
How do we mainstream Matthew 25 across Europe right now? @BobFyffe #refugeecrisis pic.twitter.com/29sNB1vUPw — CTBI (@CTBI) September 16, 2015
‘We have only one response. Solidarity. We are united.’ Alex from @UNHCRGreece says #RefugeeCrisis is growing pic.twitter.com/13aDj1V4vO — CTBI (@CTBI) September 16, 2015
‘We need to help the most vulnerable. And Christians are amongst the most persecuted people in Middle East’ @BishopAngaelos #RefugeeCrisis — CTBI (@CTBI) September 16, 2015
Hard talk @GreeceinUK; ‘The refugees carry their lives in plastic bags. How is that choice?’ @BobFyffe #RefugeeCrisis pic.twitter.com/asZ4ncwtnb — CTBI (@CTBI) September 16, 2015
‘It’s not sustainable for Europe alone to deal with #RefugeeCrisis; we have huge influx of afghanis too’ @GreeceinUK pic.twitter.com/nqwW5M5tJy — CTBI (@CTBI) September 16, 2015
‘There’s urgent need for coordinated response’ @BishopAngaelos @eurobishop @alededwardscym @GreeceinUK #RefugeeCrisis pic.twitter.com/mrGNe8DfPf — CTBI (@CTBI) September 16, 2015
Visit to the Greece/Macedonia border
I will remember the refugees crossing from Greece to Macedonia for a long time – especially all the children @CTBI pic.twitter.com/U7q4JoIrhB — Aled Edwards (@alededwardscym) September 15, 2015
Just left #Greece/#Macedonia boarder on @CTBI #RefugeeCrisis solidarity visit. So much need! Praying for safe journey pic.twitter.com/X0d3Alinsn — Bishop Angaelos (@BishopAngaelos) September 15, 2015
Syrian #refugee Moiyad tells @BishopAngaelos he paid €1000 to smugglers; ‘I’m scared. But I have to do this journey’ pic.twitter.com/lFmkHvtfev — CTBI (@CTBI) September 15, 2015
Volunteer Vasillis; ‘I’ve been begging for two years for help. No-one has done a thing’ @eurobishop @BishopAngaelos pic.twitter.com/bSfmBmu4d8 — CTBI (@CTBI) September 15, 2015
if borders close at #idomeni NGOs warn of 15,000 stuck in no mans land; ‘a human catastrophe’ #refugeeswelcome pic.twitter.com/lKWjtRE72K — CTBI (@CTBI) September 15, 2015
Winter is coming soon we need solutions before more people die @BobFyffe #refugeecrisis on Greece/Macedonia border pic.twitter.com/E5AyTxtgMp — CTBI (@CTBI) September 15, 2015
With bombs death is quick but here death can be slow. #refugeecrisis on the Greece/Macedonia border @BobFyffe pic.twitter.com/QixdVFsQM9 — CTBI (@CTBI) September 15, 2015
— CTBI (@CTBI) September 15, 2015
Meeting with Palonias Mayor and support workers
Volunteer Vasilis shows us where people are being smuggled out of Greece ‘the Mafia are making 2 million euros a day’ pic.twitter.com/g73g5bV0rt
— CTBI (@CTBI) September 15, 2015
Christo, palonias mayor, says he cant cope with refugee influx ‘but these people deserve dignity’ #refugeeswelcome pic.twitter.com/0TJmYgeehY
— CTBI (@CTBI) September 15, 2015
