This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
— Dealing with refugees is no job for the faint of heart — Salt Lake Tribune Editorial, April 3, 2016
"The LDS Church is far from the only tradition — faith or otherwise — to be faulted for its habit of telling women that they should be content with what are seen as minor or supportive roles and be happy to leave more weighty matters to the menfolk.
"Even accepting the argument that raising children and keeping home and hearth together can be about the most important things in life, traditions that hold that women have no other choices before them are, quite rightly, losing their standing in cultures across the globe.
"It is in that context that the (all male) leadership of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has called upon female members of the Utah-based religion to lead out on a new effort to provide assistance to the world's refugees. ...
" ... Sure, the idea that the church's female-only Relief Society has been assigned this task could be dismissed as yet another stereotypical decision that assigns the caring, nurturing parts of life to women so that the men can go out and, oh, hunt saber-toothed tigers or something.
"Except that the church's 'I Was a Stranger' initiative comes at a time when guiding, protecting and resettling refugees is suddenly among the most urgent tasks facing the civilized world. It is no job for the faint of heart or the weak of spirit. ..."
— Mormon leader on refugees: 'Their story is our story' — Peggy Fletcher Stack | The Salt Lake Tribune, April 4, 2016
"In a stirring speech Sunday, an LDS British general authority called on the Mormon faithful to see themselves in the suffering of 1.25 million refugees flooding into Europe on a 'perilous journey' to flee the ravages of war and political turmoil.
"Early Latter-day Saints were 'violently driven from homes and farms [in the Midwest] over and over again,' said Patrick Kearon, a member of the Seventy who directs the Utah-based faith's relief efforts in Europe. 'Their story is our story — and not that long ago.'..."
— Utah law enforcement to welcome Syrian refugees and help them assimilate — Matt Canham | The Salt Lake Tribune, Dec. 7, 2015
"Syrian refugees relocated to Utah in coming months should be welcomed and encouraged to assimilate quickly, not ostracized or surveilled, said Utah Department of Public Safety Commission Keith Squires, who reviewed the federal screening process at the request of Gov. Gary Herbert. ..."
— Bring sponsored Syrian refugees to Canada now — Toronto Star Editorial
"Bring back the troops.
In this case we're not talking the armed forces. We're talking about federal immigration officials. They're the ones who speedily processed applications for 25,000 Syrian refugees by the end of February, but then were quietly sent back to their regular jobs by the Trudeau government. That left thousands of privately sponsored refugees, who aren't here yet, in the lurch. ..."
— Dealing with the refugee crisis is quickly becoming a prominent political issue — Deseret News Editorial
— Press for more secure refugee vetting process — Montana Missoulian Editorial
— Keep door open to refugees — Detroit News Editorial
— Helping refugees takes money — Calgary Herald Editorial
— Angela Merkel's Unpopular Goodness — Daniel Kehlmann | For The New York Times
"... Until the humanitarian situation of the refugee crisis became unbearable, Chancellor Angela Merkel had always been an aloof pragmatist of power. But when dead children started to wash up at the shores of the European Union, she decided that the moment had come to offer desperate people refuge.
"She made that decision when she was riding a wave of public approval and her popularity was quite high. Now many seem to have turned against Ms. Merkel's welcoming embrace of those fleeing war zones. Part of the reason is that, in some areas, life in Germany is considerably less comfortable. Friends who work in the government on the refugee crisis profess helplessness in the face of the challenge.
"Ms. Merkel's detractors may have a point: Her choice possibly put the safety of her country at risk. Her impractical humanism will likely cost her the chancellorship. But, at the same time, her actions saved the soul of Europe. ..."