By CAM LUCADOU-WELLS
A DANDENONG Anglican Dean is seeking higher clerical advice on whether the region’s Anglican churches would offer sanctuary to more than 260 asylum seekers facing deportation to Nauru.
Father Jeffrey Parker of St James’ Anglican Church said on Thursday morning that he would contact Melbourne Archbishop Phillip Freier on the issue.
“Especially in the area of Dandenong, this could be relevant to us. I want to know if the powers-that-be will back up what we do.
“I think it’s a tricky one because you consider how long will (asylum seekers) be there (in sanctuary) and if we have things on the church and it’s full of people….”
Fr Parker was spurred on by a Brisbane Anglican parish’s declared offer earlier in the day to harbour any of the affected 267 asylum seekers, including 37 babies, who could be deported at 72 hours’ notice.
The church has no legal protection by offering sanctuary and, indeed, people harbouring or hiding a non-citizen face a maximum 10-year jail term under the Migration Act.
The asylum seekers, currently in community detention, were at risk of deportation after the High Court of Australia found in favour of the federal government’s offshore processing regime on 3 February.
As of Thursday morning Star News was seeking a comment from Archbishop Freier’s office.
