standup.comboniyouth.org.uk

Gratitude

Lately, I was among the priests concelebrating at the thanksgiving mass for the election of Bishop Keith O'Brien to the cardinalate in Edinburgh Cathedral. I could look up and see the faces of the Scottish Prime Minister and of the other members of the Scottish Parliament, the Lord Provost of the city and the Mayor, together with leaders of other Christian denominations and other faiths.
In his message the new Cardinal remarked on the need to upkeep the laws that safeguard family and married life. The Scottish Prime Minister, Jack Mc Connell, agreed and asked the Catholic Church to continue to provide the young generations with a sense of respect for themselves and others.

Here in Glasgow, the meetings of the J&P link-persons for the religious are going on. In the last meeting we met with the new national secretary Richard McCready, although sometimes I call in at his place of work in Bath Street. He thanked us for the help given by the societies (some £.5000 each for the first three years) to set up his office. The problem is how to raise money for the budget without having to knock once again at the door of the religious Congregations. He revealed that the owner of the premises where the office is based has asked him to move out, hence, soon, a new location must be found. The other point of discussion among us religious was on which topic we would focus and work during the coming year. As you see things are still in the making...

Together with Sr. Aurora Salgado, I have organized an open meeting on "Justice in the World Market" as part of the missionary awareness programme for the Motherwell diocese; the event took place in October in St. Brigid's Parish hall in Baillieston. At that time I was still on holiday, so I could not attend, but my confreres surely did. 

The links created with some African Asylum seekers have brought abundant fruit in their enthusiastic involvement with the singing and the dancing in the recent celebrations of Comboni's canonization occurring in Glasgow Cathedral and in a Parish of Saltcoats. Other asylum seekers I visit regularly when I have the opportunity, in such structures as drop-in centres. When I ask them whether I would meet them again next time round they always raise their eyes and look up to say we do not know, only God knows. This is because their pending requests for being granted asylum are continuously processed by the appointed lawyers.

The announcement on October 24 by David Blunkett of an amnesty for some asylum seekers was very thin icing on a cake whose main ingredient was salt, says the National Coalition of Anti-Deportation Campaigns (NCADC). Up to 15,000 families with children who have applied for asylum 'before 2nd October 2000 will be considered for amnesty and indefinite leave to remain. NCADC are more than happy for all those families who benefit. But, the bad news is David Blunkett intends to starve out of Britain any families who claimed asylum after October 3rd 2000 who have been refused asylum and whom the government cannot/will not remove by force.