CACG Commentators Visit Iraqi Refugees

Catholic Relief Services will host a group of eight women religious on a trip of solidarity with Iraqi refugees in the Middle East from Jan. 11 to 20. Three Catholics in Alliance for the Common Good Commentators and members of our participating organizations are part of the group who will visit Syria and Lebanon.

Sr. Simone Campbell, executive director of NETWORK, a National Catholic Social Justice Lobby, Sr. Anne Curtis of the Sisters of Mercy of the Americas Leadership Team, and Sr. Marie Lucey, Associate Director for Social Mission at the Leadership Conference of Women Religious are among the group that will travel to Lebanon and Syria to assess the plight of refugees and witness the efforts of CRS and other Catholic organizations to assist them.

Sr. Simone Campbell said, "I am going with the Catholic Relief Services delegation to witness the reality of Iraqi refugees in Syria and Lebanon and bring the stories home. I know the statistics and theory of the situation, but not the living, breathing daily reality. I hope that our presence in the region will provide some measure of comfort to the refugees and the workers whom we meet in knowing that they are not forgotten. I know that their reality will be imprinted on my spirit and that my advocacy will take on a new sense of urgency and insight. Together, with my fellow delegates, I hope that we will be able to share the stories and stir hearts in the U.S. to respond to the refugees’ grave needs."

The delegation will meet Iraqis at migrant centers and in their temporary homes, learning more about their needs for shelter, health services, and education–and their desire to return to their homes in Iraq in safety and security. The American sisters, from various religious communities, will also meet with humanitarian aid groups and others who are assisting Iraqi refugees, as well as with Christian and Muslim leaders.