BALTIMORE - Bishop Eusebio Elizondo, Chairman of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Committee on Migration, issued a statement on Syrian refugees during the Bishops' annual General Assembly in Baltimore November 17.
Full text of the statement follows:
Statement on Syrian Refugees and the Attacks in Paris
On behalf of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' Committee on Migration, I offer my deepest condolences to the families of the victims of the November 13 attacks in Paris, France and to the French people. I add my voice to all those condemning these attacks and my support to all who are working to ensure such attacks do not occur again - both in France and around the world.
Read the complete USCCB news release>
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Statement from Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland
on the Resettlement of Syrian Refugees
Catholic Charities? Migration & Refugee Services Department (MRS) follows the call from Christ to ?welcome the stranger.? The Diocese of Cleveland has resettled refugees in Cuyahoga County since 1948; MRS currently resettles over 300 individuals a year who are escaping persecution from dozens of countries around the world.
The resettlement process takes several years for each refugee and is carried out by the U.S. Department of State Resettlement Service Centers (RSCs) and United States Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS). All refugees undergo multiple security checks in order to be approved for U.S. resettlement. Refugees are subject to the highest level of security checks of any category of traveler to the United States.
Catholic Charities does not fund the migration of refugees to the United States. Catholic Charities funds are used to provide food, shelter and other essential services to support those in need once they have passed a rigorous screening process and have been assigned to a Catholic Charities agency by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) Office of Migration and Refugee Services.
We direct media inquires to the following resources via the USCCB:
1. Talking Points: Response on Syrian Refugee Resettlement in the Wake of the Paris Attacks
2. The step-by-step comprehensive refugee screening process, which averages two years
3. Statement from Bishop Elizondo, Chairman of the USCCB Committee on Migration
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