Bishop spends night in tent for Refugee Week

The Bishop of Dover, the Right Rev Rose Hudson-Wilkin
The Right Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin had a "long night, but a good night" [BBC]

The Bishop of Dover has slept in a tent overnight to mark the plight of displaced people as part of Refugee Week.

The Right Reverend Rose Hudson-Wilkin said she had a "long night, but a good night" resting on the floor in the Chapter House, at Canterbury Cathedral.

She told BBC Radio Kent: "All of my thoughts and prayers were with those around the world, the millions whose homes is a tent."

Refugee Week, which runs to 23 June, is an international festival which celebrates the "contributions, creativity and resilience" of refugees and asylum seekers.

Thursday also marks World Refugee Day, an annual event by the United Nations to honour refugees.

Bishop Hudson-Wilkin, the Church of England’s first black female bishop, said she wanted to "have a sense of what... this feels like" after visiting a refugee camp in Calais.

"For me, sleeping out was just a glimpse that captured in just that moment what it must be like for those who day after a day this is their home," she said.

She was asked what she would say to those with concerns about the UK's capacity to host more refugees and asylum seekers, following the arrival of more than 880 people who crossed the Channel on Tuesday.

"I want to say to those of us who are comfortable in our beds, in our homes, with brick walls and warmth, please let's not be too comfortable," she said. "Let's show compassion".

An exhibition has been opened at the Chapter House to mark Refugee Week.

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