Individual clergy have distributed aid and set up shelters across Europe, despite churches sometimes struggling to find a compassionate response to the issue The puttering sound of a small engine was carried over the calm sea to a beach on the Greek island of Lesbos. Soon an inflatable boat carrying some 20 people came into view. Within an hour, two more vessels had landed on the beach. Most of those on board were from Syria, Afghanistan and various African nations — just a few of the hundreds of thousands of refugees and migrants who have made the short crossing from the Turkish coast in search of safety and prosperity in western Europe this year. About 25km away in the village of Kerami Kallonis, a 57-year-old Greek Orthodox priest named Stratis Dimou, a tall man with sparkling blue eyes, received a phone call telling him about the new arrivals. Related: Guardian and Observer refugee charity appeal passes £1m mark Related: Greece buses 2,000 refugees from border camp to Athens Related: What caused the refugee crisis? You asked Google - here's the answer | Patrick Kingsley Continue reading...
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