Church issues pre-election document on racial justice and refugees

A four-page briefing on racial justice and refugees is about to be distributed to Catholic parishes throughout England and Wales. Drawn up by the Committee for Community Relations, and the Office of Refugee Policy of the Bishops' Conference, the document gives a concise history of recent race relations in Britain. It then presents seven issues for reflection and questions for parliamentary candidates. These deal with: conduct in elections; inner city and urban priority areas; education for all; discrimination and disadvantage; violence against minorities; institutional racism; and the asylum seeker voucher system. The briefing concludes with a list of the main statements issued by the Bishops' Conference about ethnic minorities and asylum seekers since 1979. If you would like a copy of the document or more information, call the Committee for Community Relations on 020 7834 8692, or the Office for Refugee Policy on: 0307834 0522. Both are based at: 39 Eccleston Square, London SW1V 1BX.