Church in Colombia struggling to cope with ‘hungry’ refugees from Venezuelan

June 27, 2017

Catholic institutions in Colombia are having difficulty providing help for a flood of migrants from troubled Venzuela, the Fides news service reports.

“We have to do something,” said Bishop Jaime Muñoz Pedroza of Arauca, Colombia. “The population that arrives is hungry.” But he explained that his own diocese has strictly limited resources, and in light of the need can provide “a drop of water in the desert.”

Church officials in Colombia have met with their counterparts in Venezuela, with government agents, and with UN refugee officials to help coordinate policy on the border, where a steady stream of families from Venezuela are seeking refuge. The continued economic emergency in Venezuela, and the government’s harsh crackdown on protests, have prompted many families to seek security elsewhere.

 

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Further information:

• Venezuelans arriving at the border are hungry, border Bishops call for the support from authorities (Fides)