What happened?
Dozens of priests have been blocked from entering Britain in the last five years, a Times investigation has found. Ten of the 22 dioceses in England and Wales said they had experienced a total of 45 visa refusals. Bishop Paul McAleenan, the bishops’ spokesman on migration, blamed a lack of “religious literacy” at the Home Office.
Why was it under-reported?
The news came out on Easter Saturday and was overshadowed by the Sri Lanka bombings the next day. It was a significant story because it confirms two trends which have often prompted complaints: first, that institutions have difficulties in getting visas for priests and religious; second, that the Home Office sometimes struggles to deal with the particularities of applications from believers. Last month, it distanced itself from a letter sent by an employee which disputed an asylum seeker’s claim that Christianity was a peaceful religion.
