By Catholic Register
by Agnieszka Krawczynski
by Agnieszka Krawczynski
Vancouver, British Columbia - A priest who escaped from Syria is
now helping other Christian refugees flee oppression and resettle in
cities in British Columbia.
"I know what it's like to be a refugee there," said Father Sarmad
Biloues of Sts. Peter and Paul Chaldean mission. "They lost everything,
even their dignity."
Several years ago, Father Biloues worked day and night among
thousands of faithful at a parish in Syria. He saw refugee camps and
heard about people who had been abused or killed because they were
Christian.
The day he fled was the day a terrorist group put his name on their
kill list. A member of the group knew the priest personally and was able
to warn him.
"Father, we're going to come and kill you today. Leave the church," Father Biloues said, recounting the man's words.
The priest fled and later found out that a car bomb had been set up near the church.
"They're still asking for my name. If I come near the border, they will take me and kill me," Father Biloues added.
Now, he said, God has a different job for him in Canada. For the past
seven years, Father Biloues has been welcoming Christian refugees
through the Vancouver Archdiocese's Refugee Sponsorship Program and
helping them resettle.
Evelyn Vollet, director of the archdiocesan Office of Service and
Justice, which oversees the program, said bringing a refugee to Canada
can take years.
"The process is very long and it's very arduous," she said.
The archdiocese holds a sponsorship agreement with the federal
government. Vollet said there are about 85 agreement holders across
Canada, and each has limits on how many refugees they can bring in.
Her office acts as the contact point between the government and parishes.
"If we didn't have this agreement, parishes wouldn't be able to do this. They sponsor through our agreement," she explained.
Typically, a refugee comes in through family connections, she said.
"That's the beauty of our program: It is a family link. They are
coming into a community; they are not coming here alone, wondering where
to connect," Vollet said.
The office handles additional paperwork and supporting documents.
Diane Chua, the office's resettlement worker, said this also means
answering thousands of emails and tracking hundreds of applications and
refugees.
"There are hot points and they have to move," Vollet explained. "It's even more difficult with civil war," as in Syria.
According to the U.N. Refugee Agency, 1.7 million Syrians have been
directly affected by the conflict, with more than 1 million of those
refugees registered with the U.N. since January.
Oversees visa offices conduct face-to-face interviews and medical
exams with refugees. That process can last 16-58 months, depending on
the country.
Vollet said the greatest need is family reunification.
"Is it a brother? A sister? That is, to us, the greatest need. If
it's a mother who's here, and she needs to bring her son, to us that's
the greatest need," she explained.
Since 2007, the archdiocese has resettled 1,400 refugees. Our Lady of
Good Counsel Parish, which hosts Father Biloues' mission, has sponsored
820 of them.
"Every day I remember the day I left Syria and how they begged me:
'Please help us,'" Father Biloues recounted. "That was my dream: to help
everybody there."
Refugees also receive support in the form of furniture, clothing,
somewhere to live, and a first round of groceries. Father Biloues said
he helps them connect with teachers and doctors so "they are not
isolated, like an island."
