A Canadian church is comparing the story of the birth of Jesus Christ to the Syrian refugee crisis, in a bid to foster tolerance and change perceptions towards people fleeing war-torn countries.
St Mark’s Anglican Church in St John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, put up a large sign outside reading ‘Christmas: A story about a Middle East family seeking refuge’ in early December.
Reverend Robert Cooke, a vicar at St Mark’s since 2010, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation: “We are trying to engage in a conversation. We are trying to get people to look at the current Syrian refugee crisis from a different perspective.
“There is a fair bit of, maybe, animosity right now towards the whole process and, we feel, towards Muslims in general.”
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Show all 8Reverend Cooke said there had been some negative reactions, but that the focus was on the positive feedback received.
The parish community of St Mark’s will be sponsoring a Syrian refugee family in the first half of the new year. The congregation raised $20,000 in three weeks to help the family, and will be working with the Association for New Canadians to find them a home and resettle.
Canada is preparing to welcome 25,000 Syrian refugees over the next few months, with the federal government aiming to move 10,000 refugees by the end of December.
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