Catholic World News News Feature
Asylum petitions in Australia after World Youth Day August 12, 2008
Australian authorities have received at least 20 pleas for asylum from young people who had received clearance to visit the country for World Youth Day.
Immigration officials in Australia had sought to limit visas for World Youth Day to genuine pilgrims, and the country's restrictive policies had caused some conflicts with organizers of the event.
Nevertheless, a small fraction of the 100,000 young people who traveled to Sydney for World Youth Day have now chosen to remain in Australia and plead for asylum. Most of the petitioners reportedly come from African nations.
Australian immigration officials have avoided direct comment on the status of asylum-seekers.
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