Church Asylum

Church asylum is a form of temporary protection for refugees without the status of legal residence in special individual cases. It is granted by congregations according to a decision of their Church Council. Since 1992 there have been 29 cases of church asylum in Lippe, 26 of them in congregations of the Church of Lippe (as of July 2019). 24 church asylums ended with a legal stay, i.e. positive.

Central criteria for church asylum are
- an actual threat of deportation,
- Reasonable concern about danger to life and limb or a possible violation of fundamental human rights,
- a remaining legal perspective, which may ultimately lead to legal residence.

Church congregations, supporters and refugees are advised beforehand by the pastor for refuge and migration of the Church of Lippe together with the church asylum committee of the "Ecumenical Forum on Refugees in Lippe (Ökumenisches Forum Flüchtlinge in Lippe)".

Contact person for Church asylum, Lippe Church:

Dieter Bökemeier,
Pastor for Diaconia, Ecumenical Relations and Migration
Phone +49 5231/976-851
dieter.boekemeier@lippische-landeskirche.de

 


Further information on church asylum:

► Brochure of the Regional Churches and Diakonia in NRW (4 th edition 2020)
„Wenn ein Fremdling bei euch wohnt…“ Kirchenasyl im Raum der evangelischen Kirchen

► Ökumenische Bundesarbeitsgemeinschaft Asyl in der Kirche
http://www.kirchenasyl.de/