Canterbury Cathedral prepares to mark Refugee Week

A Canterbury Cathedral reverend says it is important to "remember the people who lie behind the figures and rhetoric of immigration" as the church prepares to mark Refugee Week.

Reverend Dr Emma Pennington, canon missioner at the cathedral, was speaking ahead of a week of events.

During the week, which lasts until Sunday, the names of people who have died in Calais or while crossing the channel will be displayed in the cathedral's crypt.

Dr Pennington said: "You will see just how many there are on boards dedicated to their remembrance."

She added: "The dates given reflect back to us the tragic loss of life by so many young people and children."

The cathedral will also be holding events marking its history as a place of refuge and sanctuary, a spokesperson for the church said.

A discussion panel will also be held on Wednesday to discuss topics surrounding asylum seekers crossing the English Channel and global migration, including government policy.

The cathedral will also host an evening of food and music which it said is aimed at celebrating multi-culturalism, featuring countries including Eritrea, South Sudan and Ukraine.

The events have been organised in partnership with the Social Justice Network, a group in the Canterbury diocese working with refugees and asylum seekers in Kent and Northern France.

Reverend Professor Jonathan Arnold, executive director of the Social Justice Network, said the events "will be addressing the ways in which we may find a better way to live together in peace and transform our communities into places of love, generosity, and compassion in a world of hate and war".

Refugee Week is an arts and culture festival taking place every year around World Refugee Day on 20 June.

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