Every Issue is
a Local Issue
Father Rod Bower
On the front door of Durham Cathedral in the north of
England, visitors will find the Sanctuary Knocker.
This rather grotesque medieval device played an
important part in the Cathedral’s history. Those
who “had committed a offence,” such as murder in
self-defense or breaking out of prison, could rap the
knocker, and would be given 37 days of sanctuary within
which they could try to reconcile with their enemies
or plan their escape.
The Cathedral entrance has now been
modified, but it originally had two small
chambers above the doorway with windows
where monks would be seated keeping a
watch out for sanctuary seekers, to let them in
promptly, at any time of the day or night.
Most ancient civilizations had some
concept or process of Sanctuary
or Asylum. While this idea may
vary from culture to culture
one thing is constant,
asylum provided space
and time for someone
fleeing from what was
considered to be a
potential injustice,
usually in the guise of
an angry mob.
As the rule of law
became more
prevalent the need for
sanctuary became less
relevant and by 1623,
the laws in England
permitting church
sanctuary were overturned
by parliament.
The more things change, the more
they stay the same. When the rule of law
breaks down and justice cannot be assured,
the need for asylum arises once again. People
are fleeing places of war, famine and
depravation throughout the world, but unlike
Durham Cathedral who posted guards to
welcome the asylum seeker, we in many cases
post guards to turn them away. In some
cases we not only abandon the vulnerable
to the angry mob, but we supply the mob
as well.
The historic notion of sanctuary holds at
its heart the concept of hope; hope based
in the belief that human beings, no
matter what journey has lead them to the
present moment, have the potential for a
brighter future.
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This year’s theme for The Refugee Council of
Australia, Restoring Hope, is built on this
belief.
One of the many myths about refugees is that
to be “genuine” they must be poor; often the
opposite is the case. When an
oppressive regime determines to
take control it will immediately
attack the middle class. It is
this stratum of most
societies that provides
structural stability and
opposition to tyranny.
Just because a
family can afford to
flee does not mean
they are not genuine;
in fact it may indicate
that they do have a
well founded fear of
persecution.
Refugees are above
all else people of hope.
They hope for a better
future characterized by
safety, peace and
possibilities, they want to live
in a society where they c