Archbishop Eamon Martin calls on all parishes to embrace refugees

The Catholic Primate of All Ireland Archbishop Eamon Martin has called on parishes to embrace refugees and migrants to Ireland with open arms.

In a homily in Knock today, he said the plight of refugees was one of seven sorrows of the modern world, and added: "Let us commit ourselves and our parishes to embrace refugees and migrants to Ireland with open arms and Christian charity."

He also named human trafficking, abortion, neglect of the Earth, addiction, euthanasia and general indifference to such issues and as "modern-day sorrows".

Bethlehem... Remembering refugees in the name of the Christ child who had to flee for safety pic.twitter.com/9TroRr8w3i

— Eamon Martin (@ArchbishopEamon) September 15, 2015

The Archbishop's comments echo those of Pope Francis this week, where he urged every Catholic parish if Europe to take on one refugee family.

The Vatican is providing accommodation to one Syrian refugee family of four. The family from Damascus - a couple and two children - belongs to the Melkite Greek Catholic Church, an Eastern rite church, and is waiting on an asylum application decision from Italy.

Pope Francis has said the Vatican will take two families, and has called for every one of the 120,000 Catholic parishes across Europe to take in at least one.