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Heinrich Bedford-Strohm, Chairman of the Council of the Evangelical Church in Germany (archive image)
Photo: Daniel Karmann / DPA
The EKD Council Chairman Heinrich Bedford-Strohm is slowly losing patience.
The distribution of migrants from the burned down Greek refugee camp Moria is taking place too slowly, according to the Bavarian regional bishop.
Taking in 400 minors and distributing them to ten countries is also far too little, Bedford-Strohm told the TV channels RTL and ntv.
"It is nowhere near enough."
It is a shame that taking in just a few hundred people should be a major humanitarian feat.
"That can't be true! Europe can do a lot more!"
Around 12,000 people had lived in the camp on the island of Lesbos before the fire.
So far Germany has agreed to accept 100 to 150 young people out of a total of 400 unaccompanied minors who are to be brought from Greece to other European countries.
The federal government is debating whether further asylum seekers should be admitted.
According to the EKD Council Chairman, there is a willingness to take in the refugees in Europe.
"It must just no longer be blocked by the governments of the states," said Bedford-Strohm.
Individual countries should not shirk their responsibility, he said, without naming states.
"If you then also carry the Christian formulations in front of you, then that is all the more unbearable."
One could not wait for all countries, said Bedford-Strohm.
"We have been doing that for years now. My patience is really running out!"
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ala / dpa
