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Cardinal Vincent Nichols has visited the Hurtado Jesuit Centre in Wapping, east London, home of the Jesuit Refugee Service in the UK.

On Thursday 12 July, Cardinal Nichols, President of the Bishops' Conference, met with refugees and learnt more about the challenges they face on a daily basis.

"What the Jesuit Refugee Service sets out to do is to be with people - to accompany them - not pretending that it can solve some of the difficult problems around the presence of refugees in this country.

"This accompaniment is symbolised in a meal that is provided every day which is shared together... this provision of human warmth and shared food is what those living in destitution most appreciate.

"In a way it contrasts with the harshness of the way our procedures deal with those that seek asylum. I have heard heart-rending, terrible stories about how some people have been treated."