The Archbishop of Toronto is calling on the city’s Catholic community to help the tens of thousands of refugees arriving on the shores of Europe.
On Tuesday, Cardinal Thomas Collins announced the start of Project Hope, a campaign that aims to raise $3 million in 100 days to help 100 refugee families settle in the Greater Toronto Area.
“We should disturbed, but also ashamed,” Collins said, stressing that Canadian politicians must put politics aside and do more to help the situation. “We need to care for those who are in need.”
The archdiocese is also sending one of its staff members overseas to refugee camps in Europe to identify the families most in need.
“There are a lot of people who cannot be in the refugee camps because they are even persecuted by other refugees,” said Martin Mark, director of the archdiocese’s office for refugees. “We have to see who are refugees from the refugee camps.”
Approximately 42,000 asylum-seekers are expected to reach Hungary over the next 10 days and Germany expects to receive a total of 800,000 refugees by the end of 2015. Meanwhile, thousands of refugees from the Middle East and parts of Africa keep arriving in Europe each week.
The province of Ontario recently pledged $300,000 for Lifeline Syria, an organization trying to bring 1,000 asylum-seekers from the war-torn country to Toronto.
Manitoba has also offered $40,000 to help refugee-settlement services. Quebec is aiming to resettle nearly 2,000 refugees by the end of the year.
So far, the archdiocese has raised $500,000 for Project Hope.
Collins stressed that Project Hope is not intended to help only Christian refugees, but those most in need -- regardless of religious beliefs.
In addition to campaign, the archdiocese has already resettled more than 2,500 refugees through private sponsorships.
Donations to Project Hope can be made online, at any local Catholic church, or by calling 416-934-3411.
With a report from Austin Delaney
