“I renew my heartfelt appeal for the international community to act promptly and decisively to avoid the repetition of similar tragedies and to guarantee the safety and dignity of all.”

The Jesuit Refugee Service has called for the restoration of search and rescue operations in the Mediterranean following drowning of 150 people in a shipwreck on Thursday.

Michael D. Higgins criticises European nations' failure to respond to their humanitarian obligations at Famine commemoration.

Former MP and UK Minister of State for Children and Families to talk about how faith prompted her to leave politics and work instead for the Jesuit Refugee Service.

COMECE president says the decision of the British electorate confronts the European Union and its Member States with questions about their goals and their tasks.

“Today our witness to the distress of refugees should be a call to action.”

“Europe has the power to save and protect people. It’s a just question of political will to provide safe ways for people to enter Europe without risking their lives.”

Welcoming a refugee can cost up to €12,000 initially but over time they begin to work and pay tax and contribute to the economy: Philippe Legrain.

8,500 people survived thanks to the actions of the Irish Navy crews in 2015 and many more will be saved in the coming weeks.

The Mingy Prayerbook App contains multi-denominational prayers and reflections for army personnel and their families and colleagues.

“Once again the ugly consequences of war have caused multitudes of good people to take great risks as they seek refuge in foreign lands.”

“All of us can play our part in making such a plan work on the ground here in Ireland" - Archbishop Eamon Martin.

“Migrants are not a threat to the EU but our policies are a threat to them” - Caritas Europa.

“We should take more, give more and be a constructive voice in the European debate” - Peter Sutherland, UN special representative for international migration.

“We have to be careful of the fear factor that is sometimes generated on this issue and instead look at more creative ways of welcoming people into the country”: Primate.

“The loss of such high numbers of innocent lives at sea resonates strongly with the Irish experience of the ‘coffin ships’ during the time of the Great Famine” – Bishop Crean.

Desperate attempts by thousands of refugees to cross the Mediterranean is a challenge to ‘Christian’ Europe, which demands a coordinated and compassionate response.

Under a plan to be published on Wednesday, the EU is expected to impose migrant quotas on the 28 countries of the Union.

Ireland has the ninth lowest number of asylum applications in the EU, with just 6,560 people having sought asylum over the last five years.

Persecution is intensifying, Archbishop Neary warns, with ancient Christian communities driven from their lands through ethnic cleaning.