On 25 May 2026 the Vatican released Pope Leo XIV’s first encyclical, Magnifica Humanitas. Within the encyclical, Pope Leo comments that the way that we treat migrants, refugees and those who are forced to move due to poverty, violence or climate change reveals a lot about our society. It shows whether our actions are driven by fear or by a sense of community and care for one another. He calls for the creation of safe and legal routes for migrants, dignified conditions for receiving them and genuine pathways to integration. But he also reminds us that we should address the root causes that lead to forced migration in the first place, by promoting peace and addressing economic injustice and the climate crisis.
The Justice and Peace Refugee Project continues to welcome hundreds of asylum seekers every month, with new clients registering each week from many places in the world. During June, we celebrated Refugee Week. At the centre, the SVP and Refugee Project organised an activity for clients to share their experiences, reflecting on the theme of refugee week, Courage. Clients were asked to share a story or paint something that expressed what courage means for them – it may have been their journey, the struggle to speak English, or the difficulty they had making friends in their new environment.
As part of Refugee Week, Azad and some volunteers also continued to develop connections with our local schools. They visited St Charles RC Primary School, Spennymoor, where they provided a presentation to the children in a school assembly, explaining a little bit about the theme of Courage and sharing information about the work that we do at the project. Pupils expressed great interest in visiting us at the project. We have also welcomed a group of 12 pupils from Sir Charles Parsons School to the project. Pupils were shown around the project and introduced to volunteers and the work they were doing. At the end of the session, the pupils made a generous donation to the project. Many thanks!
We are very pleased to report that the SVP is partnering with Dentaid, a charity that helps people at risk of health inequalities to access dental care, who will be bringing their dental bus to St Vincent’s for 4 visits. Our clients are also welcome to access this service, which will be of great benefit.
We were very pleased to hear recently that one of our clients and their family have been given leave to remain after 13 years of struggle in legal limbo. This was a true relief for them and a source of joy for us all.
We continue to rely on the generosity of individuals and parishes for donations for which we are incredibly grateful. Items most urgently needed can be found here.
We are thankful for and continue to rely on your generous financial support for our work. Details of our bank account (DHN Justice & Peace Refugee Project) can be found on our webpage. Please consider Gift-Aiding – a Gift Aid Declaration form is available here
For more details about our work and how you can assist, please contact our Project Co-ordinator at jp.refugeeproject@diocesehn.org.uk