PORTSMOUTH’s two bishops have issued a statement on immigration and asylum in the wake of protests outside a Southsea hotel.

The Rt Rev Jonathan Frost, Church of England Bishop of Portsmouth, and the Rt Rev Philip Egan, Roman Catholic Bishop of Portsmouth, made their joint statement after discovering that children were among those left intimidated within the Royal Beach Hotel. One asylum seeker, who is a Christian and attends church in Southsea, has detailed what life is like for his young family inside the hotel.

The statement from the two bishops reads as follows:

“As the Roman Catholic and Church of England Bishops of Portsmouth, we are honoured to serve a city which has as its emblem ‘Heaven’s Light Our Guide’.

“Each day we seek the light and guidance of God for daily living. We listen closely to our scriptures and seek wisdom from our Christian heritage. We listen to the cry of the most vulnerable in our city. We find the teaching of Jesus difficult but always life-giving.

“We cherish our city’s long history of hospitality to strangers, refugees and asylum seekers. But we are concerned that our city’s well-deserved reputation for compassion is under threat from those promoting fear and misinformation about our most vulnerable neighbours.

“We have been truly ashamed by recent events in our city that involve the intimidation, blaming and scapegoating of asylum seekers and refugees. We are horrified when protestors use Christian language to justify divisive chants. We are aware that more than 20 children currently live in the Royal Beach Hotel in Southsea. Here families live in fear as protesters chant crude slogans outside the hotel.

“We understand the real concerns and fears about immigration, including the perception that it adds to pressures on already stretched welfare and NHS systems. It is a complex problem that needs to be sorted out, but it requires a long-term solution, not a short-term quick fix or scapegoating. Every refugee or asylum seeker is a person with a name and a story to tell and we must remember they have often fled from truly desperate situations.

“Jesus Christ modelled care for the outcast and marginalised. His gospel calls us to love our neighbour, including care for the stranger. We are called to build bridges, not walls. Indeed, Jesus identified himself with the stranger such that to care for a stranger is to care for him (Matthew chapter 25, verse 35).

“The light of faith prompts Christians to support asylum seekers and refugees, as well as the homeless, the poorest and the oldest in our communities. That compassionate approach is rooted in a regard for the sanctity of all human life, which is the bedrock of our shared faith.

“A humane way forward demands informed engagement, meeting asylum seekers, and pressing politicians for real reform, backed by cross-agency, cross-party and international collaboration to deliver a fair, long-term solution.

“We call on our own Christian communities, people of all faiths and none, to seek a just and kind solution, and to take practical steps towards understanding and supporting those in need. Let us commit ourselves to doing that which truly makes a difference.”