Vinnies at Palm Sunday Rally. Say Yes to Refugees – Permanent Visas for All
April 13 @ 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Free
Since the beginning of his pontificate, Pope Francis has exhorted us all to welcome refugees and migrants. In February he criticised the new US policies towards migrants, declaring bluntly “this is not a minor issue”. So in his 2025 Lenten Message on the theme “Let us journey together in hope”, the Pope asks us to “compare our daily life with that of some migrant or foreigner, to learn how to sympathize with their experiences and in this way discover what God is asking of us”.
Vinnies is committed to serving people in need in our community (including new migrants, refugees, and people seeking asylum) and advocating on their behalf.
In the last twelve months, the Federal Government has continued to give permanent visas to another 8000 refugees, who had been living for a decade in uncertainty and disadvantage on temporary visas., on top of 12.000 granted in the previous year.
However, thousands of other people under Australia’s care are still unable to seek our permanent protection in a timely way. So, Vinnies again invites Christians and people of good will in the Canberra region to join us at the annual Palm Sunday Rally to call for permanent and safe protection for these people, still left ‘in limbo’ for more than a decade, including:
- Over 7000 people seeking asylum in Australia but still enduring a painfully slow refugee assessment process, with many suffering destitution because they are unable to work;
- About 1000 people evacuated to Australia from PNG and Nauru for medical treatment; and
- 40 people, still held in Port Moresby with inadequate medical care in one of the most dangerous cities in the world.
The rally will be held at Civic Square at 1pm on Sunday 13 April. Vinnies members are meeting beforehand at 12.30pm next to the carousel in Petrie Plaza.
We will hear a refugee speaker telling of the dangerous and frustrating journey that has been her life, before and in Australia, giving us time to indeed compare her life with ours (as Pope Francis asks), where we take freedom and safety for so much for granted. Permanent Visas for All!