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- Fiona Writes From Rome
Learning From People Whose Lives Have Been Characterized by Turmoil and UncertaintyHow do we proceed when everything around us seems to be in a state of turmoil? Lately, with increasing frequency, I hear friends and family express a sense of uncertainty, if not helplessness. I am, at the same time, learning much from people whose lives have been characterized by turmoil and uncertainty and who, despite this, keep believing in the possibility of a better life – and keep striving to achieve it. They are people who have learned to take nothing for granted, people who understand that, fundamentally, change is effected, first, by paying attention to our own attitude and actions. And yet, they are people often demonized by society, people often characterized as a burden.
A few weeks ago, one of those people had his interview with the body in Italy which examines asylum claims. Faris has been waiting almost two years for this appointment, having arrived in Italy through the humanitarian corridors program operated by Mediterranean Hope, the refugee and migrant team established by the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy. Every participant in the program enters Italy with a humanitarian visa and is cleared in advance by Italian authorities, but refugee status is not granted until the relevant tribunal has fully examined the newcomer’s claim for asylum, hence the interview.
This usually happens six to twelve months after arrival, depending on which region of Italy is hosting the newcomer and, therefore, examining the claim. In this case, the wait has been unusually long. The reason for that is simple: Faris is Syrian. In December 2024, just a few months after his arrival, the Assad regime fell. Italy, in common with many other countries, immediately suspended examination of claims for asylum from Syrians, previously a nationality whose claims were highly likely to be granted. The new state of affairs in Syria created systemic uncertainty. Would it now be possible for people who had fled that country to return?
The MH team, along with other organizations in our community of practice, has continued to lobby the Italian government hard to lift the suspension and allow the group of approximately three hundred Syrians like Faris to be allowed to progress through the asylum system and have their claims determined in the same way as those of other nationalities. Some weeks ago, the government agreed. Whilst new claims by Syrians will still not be considered at present, these historic cases, at least, can proceed, each one being determined on its own merits.
As a result, Faris has finally had the interview which will lead to determination of his claim. His preparation for the interview – which lasted five hours – was meticulous. When I spoke to him afterwards, although exhausted, he was buoyed by having finally had the opportunity to share in detail the tragic circumstances which led to his arrival in Italy. For the first time in a long time, he felt heard. As is standard, he was asked at the end if he had a particular message for those who will make the final determination. He told them that he would simply like to have the chance to move forward. Every time he tells his story, or prepares to do so, he is catapulted back into the traumatic situation which he fled. He wishes to leave it behind, once and for all, and be allowed to flourish. Wouldn’t you?
Despite the agonizing limbo of the last two years, Faris has not been idle. Bright and articulate, he has been studying, working, learning a new language, adapting to a new culture – and helping to feed the homeless. Notwithstanding the uncertainty of not knowing whether he will be permitted to remain in Italy, Faris has been proceeding on the basis that he must make the most of the situation in which he finds himself, developing the tools to survive, thrive and re-establish a sense of security. To do this, he has had to mine reserves of energy, ingenuity, and determination. If the tribunal does not find in his favor, he may be required to re-start that process in a new country entirely. Yet he goes on, strengthened by a deep faith. Few of us, I think, might write as he did the day after the interview: “Really, sometimes God loves to joke with us in hard times…God has a beautiful sense of humor.”
Last month, when I was on Iona, a fellow-traveler, Chris Goan, shared some poetry with our group. I’ll leave you with some verses which spoke to me of the resilience needed at times like these:
Given what we know and what we fear
About the state of our world
We will feed strangers
We will dance to the skirl of fiddles, and
We will pray …
Given what we know and what we fear
About the end of things we hold dear
We will look to the birds
We will walk the woods that remain, and
We will sing.
Every blessing to you.
Fiona Kendall
This article was written by Fiona Kendall, a staff member of Mediterranean Hope, which is the refugee and migrant program of the Federation of Protestant Churches in Italy, to which the Waldensian Church belongs.