UN torture watchdog calls Australia’s migrant detention ‘inhumane’

Detained migrants spend on average two years locked up with no idea when they might be released. The UN’s torture watchdog says this is inhumane.
Two new lay ministers just the beginning for Emmanuel Iranian

Elham Gharaee Shirazi and Paul Afshar are excited to serve their community.
Tarneit church plant connects with those who have fled persecution

This new church plant is drawing refugees from some of the world’s most troubled places.
‘Miracle’: Iranian refugees reunited with old friends at Deep Creek Anglican

Esmaeil Falahati and his family are grateful to be able to openly celebrate their Christian faith after escaping religious persecution in Iran.
The church putting its money where its mouth is

Cost-of-living increases affecting refugee and asylum seeker communities have spurred St John’s Bentleigh to expand their food collection and donation program.
Visa uncertainty ends for thousands of refugees, but many still stuck in limbo

Several thousand refugees will be provided permanent visa pathways as the Albanese government fulfils an election promise, but many other asylum seekers on different types of visas are still in limbo.
‘Being Christian in Iran, it’s not a good thing’: The Reverend Leili Shirmast’s complicated journey to ordination

The Reverend Leili Shirmast’s path to ordination included fleeing her home country and living as a refugee for six years.
‘God will be there at the centre’: Fifteen new deacons ordained at St Paul’s Cathedral, Anglican Diocese of Melbourne 2023

“On this journey together, I have no doubt that God will be there at the centre of all that we do,” The Reverend Christine Barren told ordinands at the deacons ordinations at St Paul’s Cathedral, Diocese of Melbourne.
Churches uniquely suited to help support refugees and asylum seekers

Churches have the power to bring communities together in service to others, according to experts and those with experience.
From Lutheran in Hungary to Anglican in the Mornington Peninsula: The Reverend Andrea Nagy’s journey to ordination

The first time she set foot in Australia, the Reverend Andrea Nagy was 20 years old. Accompanied by her husband and their toddler daughter, she had just arrived from an Austrian refugee camp.