The subject of the referendum will be whether we agree to a forced relocation mechanism, not whether or not we help someone in a difficult situation, government spokesman Piotr Müller said on Thursday, commenting on the position of the Polish Catholic Church, which opposed the instrumental using refugees “for games of political parties” and ruled that a referendum was not necessary to work out solutions to migration challenges.
During the press conference, Müller was asked about the communiqué of the Council of the Polish Bishops’ Conference for Migration, Tourism and Pilgrimage, which stated that the answers to new challenges regarding migration policy “need not be subject to a referendum”. decisions”, but “act wisely and socially with due consideration for the possibilities and social consequences of the future”.
In that case, we disagree on this point
said a government spokesman.
We believe that in important situations citizens should take such a decision in a referendum. And we are talking about forced relocation, because that is a referendum, not whether we help someone in a difficult situation or not
he explained.
The question that will be the subject of the referendum is whether we agree to a forced relocation mechanism
Mueller emphasized.
It is about the reform of migration regulations in the European Union, which Poland opposes, because it says, among other things: about “mandatory solidarity” of EU members on refugees.
In June, PiS president Jarosław Kaczyński declared that the issue of relocation of migrants in the European Union should be put to a referendum. Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki confirmed the intention to hold the referendum together with the parliamentary elections in the autumn.
Appeal from the Polish Episcopate on Migration
In the communiqué, members of the Council of the Polish Episcopate pointed out that the increased presence of migration issues in the public debate has been noticeable for some time.
We call on all participants, politicians, publicists and the media to present the situation of refugees and migrants in Poland and the European Union in a reliable and responsible manner, factually and ideologically free. We strongly warn against their instrumental use for political games and the development of xenophobic attitudes. Such actions are incompatible with Christian teaching
– they reserved.
According to them, “anti-refugee or anti-immigration narratives not only shape social attitudes, but also impact the lives of specific people.”
They are also destructive to attempts at a responsible, collective search for adequate answers, and they deprive the refugee and migrant of human dignity.
they assessed.
They underlined the need at European level to “develop fair solidarity projects, evenly sharing the burden and costs of helping people who have already been granted asylum or international protection status”.
Controlled migration processes provide a sense of security – as opposed to chaotic migration, often coordinated by gangs of smugglers, misleading and creating false hopes for people seeking decent living conditions
said the members of the Council.
We ask you to be guided above all by an attitude of openness, respect for migrants and refugees and the generally understood common good when looking for solutions to complex migration problems
they appealed.
They admitted that this is related to a willingness to go beyond the single national perspective, and that the newcomers are obliged to respect our culture, religion, law and safety rules.
State policy towards foreigners should clearly define and consistently enforce such rules to avoid disappointments and dangers in the future
they noted.
They recalled the inalienable right of every human being to migrate and look for a better place to live.
One should not succumb to the temptation to arouse fear, hostility or resentment towards newcomers in the name of misunderstood patriotism or political calculations, especially because of their status, religion or origin.
– they reserved.
They noted that the election campaign period usually brings the intensity of political emotions and sharpening of public debate. At the same time, they called for natural differences of opinion and concern for the prosperity of the fatherland not to lead to behavior that Pope Francis diagnosed in the encyclical “Fratelli tutti” as “sowing despair and arousing constant distrust”.
Let the encounter with the newcomer be an opportunity for us as a host society to overcome internal divisions and build bridges by seeking the common good and the best possible models of social integration
They wrote.
They stressed that efforts should be made in Poland to develop responses to new, but already serious challenges, such as: principles of migration policy, protection of labor rights of migrant workers, introduction of genuine integration mechanisms (also to avoid ghettoization), covers all migrant children, funds programs for learning the Polish language, provides dignified social assistance to persons residing in Poland in procedures for international protection.
It is not necessary to make the methods of their practice the subject of referendum decisions, but of prudent action and social dialogue, taking into account the possibilities and social consequences in the future
they noted.
In the community of the Church, we remind you that the reception of refugees and migrants, their protection, the creation of opportunities for development and social integration through pastoral structures are important tasks within the parish ministry. It is a call to a difficult vision, far from utopian, but a blessed fulfillment of the words of the Savior Jesus Christ: “I was a stranger, and you welcomed me.”
– the authors of the statement reserved.
tkwl/PAP
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Source: wPolityce