Grant Me Sanctuary

Religious leaders from different faiths, all over the United States, announced yesterday a movement called Sanctuary, an effort loosely based on the 1980's Sanctuary which housed Central American refugees fleeing wars - often illegally.

The church that housed Canadian refugees, Arcade Fire, for 5 nights this past February is on board for the Sanctuary movement as well. Rev. Donna Schaper of Judson Memorial Church defined Sanctuary as "providing spiritual, moral, sometimes material and sometimes legal assistance to people who are either unjustly detained or deported." [via The Guardian, picture via Gothamist]

"We want to put a human face to very complex immigration laws and awaken the consciousness of the human spirit,'' said Father Richard Estrada of Our Lady Queen of Angels Catholic Church in Los Angeles, where more than 30 priests, pastors, imams and rabbis blessed two illegal immigrants during a raucous ceremony attended by 300 people. [The Guardian]