Church criticizes the federal government's migration policy

Hanover – Bishop Christian Stäblein, the EKD's refugee commissioner and spiritual leader of the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia, criticizes the federal government's migration policy and calls for European solutions. Regarding a Berlin administrative court's decision on rejections at the border, he told the "Tagesspiegel" newspaper: "It confirms what we have always said on this point. In this respect, I am not surprised, but rather see the rulings as a renewed reminder: We need European solutions." Stäblein added that migration is part of this. It is important to consider each individual. "Every person has their dignity before God. This unites Europe, or at least has always united it," the bishop said. "I think we should do everything we can to keep it that way. I understand the court rulings along these lines." Regarding border controls at the border with Poland, the EKD refugee representative said: "Our Polish friends signaled relatively early on that they were persistently irritated by the German approach. You can't simply declare a permanent state of emergency; that won't work and isn't a solution."