Danish Delegation Moved by Refugee Situation in Athens
On 6th-8th December a delegation of three Danish politicians, Bishop of Copenhagen Peter Skov-Jakobsen and Pastor Niels Nymann Eriksen visited Athens to get first hand impressions of the refugee situation by meeting church partners and observing grass roots work
Ms. Karen Klint, member of the Folketing and chair of the Committee on Church Affairs with Rev Niels Nymann Eriksen, pastor of integration in Copenhagen visiting the streets of Athens. Photo: Gael Michaud.
Member of the European Parliament Margrete Auken (Greens/EFA group) and Members of the Danish Folketing Karen Klint (Social Democrats) and Mette Bock (Liberal Alliance) visited Athens on the invitation of Bishop Peter Skov-Jakobsen and the Council on International Relations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Denmark (ELCD). The purpose was to get a first hand impression of the situation for the most vulnerable of refugees entering Europe, namely children and young people.
The delegation was welcomed by H.B. the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece, Ieronymos and H.E. Metropolitan Athenagoras of Ilion and an exchange about the general situation took place.
On the grass roots level, a meeting and an excursion with the NGO Faros (Lighthouse) was organised. Faros is a Danish initiated church based NGO that has done street-level outreach work amongst young refugees since 2012. Youths are invited to visit the Drop-in Centre where activities are arranged and counselling offered. Accommodation will soon be offered to a number of persons at the Faros Drop-in Centre as well. The vision is to limit the secondary traumatising of the young people and the delegation took not of this vision: One thing is experiencing war and having to flee from it. What happens to the children and young people during their journey and when reaching some destination is another and potentially equally damaging occurrence.
The Greek Evangelical Church in Exarchia welcomed the delegation as well. The Rev Tim Coomar and Rev Alexandros Pipillos shared their views on the situation. Rev Pipillos is a member of the Faros board and volunteers for the Faros projects are recruited through the church.
Meetings with Caritas and the Ecumenical Refugee Centre showed the delegation a strong church engagement in the current refugee crisis. The high level work done by these organisations was an inspiration for the politicians who wrote in a common letter to The Christian Daily: “In the middle of the hopelessness in Athens we experienced shining sparks of human generosity and will to find concrete solutions “under the radar”: Civil society, volunteers, NGO’s and not least church organisations work indefatigably to help out in daily life.”
The Danish Ambassador to Greece provided the delegation with an orientation on the progress in handling the refugee situation.
On the generous invitation of the Secretary General of the Interparliamentary Assembly on Orthodoxy (I.A.O.) Mr. Ioannis Amanatidis, the members of the delegation were briefed about the I.A.O. activities and initiatives regarding issues of political intervention, worldwide, in order to achieve political and religious understanding among different groups, political parties, social associations, etc. Mr. Ioannis Amanatidis, along with the I.A.O. advisor Dr. Kostas stressed the need for dialogue among politicians, religious leaders and young people when dealing with these acute humanitarian problems.
The delegation in Athens. From the left: Ms. Mette Bock, Right Rev Peter Skov-Jakobsen, Rev Niels Nymann Eriksen, Ms. Karen Klint, Ms. Margrete Auken, Mr. Dan Biswas (Faros), Mr. Kenneth Brant Hansen (Faros), Ms. Laura Friis Wang, journalist at 'Information'. Photo: Gael Michaud.
Back in Copenhagen, on the eve of the 8th December, the Cathedral hosted a candle light service focusing on children and youths among refugees in Europe and Denmark. Bishop Peter Skov-Jakobsen delivered the sermon. A great number of refugees living in Denmark participated in the service.
See photos from the candle light service here.
Rebekka Højmark Svenningsen
