Perspective: Why the ELCA welcomes refugees by Michael Rinehart, June 20, 2019
When World Refugee Day arrives on June 20, we will be several years into the largest refugee crisis the world has ever seen. Extreme weather, poverty and violence are pushing our neighbors to migrate.
In March, Cyclone Idai killed 1,000 in southeastern Africa and left 110,000 in refugee camps. In Yemen, searing conflict and extreme poverty forced 3 million people to flee their homes; 280,000 have sought asylum in other countries. Closer to home, San Pedro Sula and Tegucigalpa in Honduras have the highest homicide rates in the world.
These are three of many hot spots around the world. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, 68.5 million people are displaced—one-third are refugees and many are children. At the risk of sounding cliché, what would Jesus do?