WCC News: WCC expresses deep concern over EU restrictions on protections for migrants and refugees

World Council of Churches general secretary Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay expressed deep concern and lament following a recent vote in the European Union that further restricts protections for migrants and refugees.  Refugee families from Ukraine walk through the Vyšné Nemecké border crossing between Slovakia and Ukraine. Since the Russian invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, hundreds of thousands of refugees have crossed the border to Slovakia in search of refuge and shelter from war and an increasingly desperate humanitarian situation. Photo: Albin Hillert/Life on Earth 22 June 2026   “The timing of this decision – which coincides with the 75th anniversary of the 1951 Refugee Convention – adds a painful layer of irony to what should have been a moment of renewed commitment to international solidarity and human dignity,” said Pillay. “The 1951 Refugee Convention was born out of the humanitarian and moral crisis of mass displacement following the Second World War.” It enshrined a simple but profound principle: that every human being, regardless of origin, deserves protection when fleeing persecution and danger.  “Any erosion of this commitment weakens not only legal frameworks but the moral architecture of our shared humanity,” said Pillay. “The biblical witness consistently links the treatment of the stranger, the widow, and the orphan with the integrity of a just society.” Pillay called upon the European Union and its member states to reaffirm their commitment to the protection of refugees and migrants, to uphold international legal standards, and to resist political narratives that trade in fear and division. “We further urge churches across Europe and beyond to remain steadfast voices of conscience, to accompany migrants and refugees in practical solidarity, and to advocate for policies rooted in human dignity rather than exclusion,” he said. “At this critical moment, the measure of integrity of our societies will not be found in how effectively we exclude the vulnerable, but in how faithfully we protect them.” World Council of Churches Statement on the recent European Union vote concerning migrants and refugees WCC joins faith-based statement for World Refugee Day, 75th anniversary of Refugee Convention (WCC news release, 22 June 2026) See more

The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 356 Protestant, Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 580 million Christians in over 120 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Prof. Dr Jerry Pillay from the Uniting Presbyterian Church in Southern Africa. Media contact: +41 79 507 6363; www.oikoumene.org/press Our visiting address is: World Council of Churches Chemin du Pommier 42 Kyoto Building Le Grand-Saconnex CH-1218 Switzerland