When it comes to addressing the current migration crisis, there is an ethical principle that no one can call into question, that is, “the protection of people in need, who are fleeing war, violence and persecution”. Indeed, this is “a key element of Christianity, humanity and our modern human rights culture”, which has implications broader than “the international obligations flowing from the Geneva Convention”. This is the first of the three key points contained in the “Declaration of theologians and Church leaders on Austria’s refugee policy”, released today and signed by 50 theologians, heads of religious orders, and Church institutions. The document recalls that “short-term policies and measures, based on national interests and unilateral decision-making, risk weakening the EU and destabilising other EU member states”. Austria should cooperate “in finding a common European way to address the humanitarian crisis”, and in the long term it should seek “common solutions” to address “the causes of migration and the situation of refugees in the countries bordering war-torn states”. The document ends with a clear condemnation of the “politics of fear and inhumanity”, based on “incitement to hatred and xenophobia, the dissemination of false information about refugees, and opposition to the reception of asylum seekers in Austria”. “Only a concrete and responsible approach to asylum is in line with European values”.