Category Archives: Events@HoC

World Refugee Day on 20 June

A policy that reveals its true face: families and children left on the streets. A policy that dehumanises. The right to reception is a fundamental right. There is no reception crisis — there is a crisis of solidarity. This is why we want to form a human chain: to resist the dehumanisation of people seeking shelter.

Join us. Stand together. Make a difference.

This event is organised by Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen, House of Compassion, Amitié Sans Frontière, Umbrella Refugee Committee and the Citizen Platform Bel Refugee.

Where: Boulevard du Neuvième de Ligne, 1000 Brussels, Belgium When: On 20 June, World Refugee Day, we will mark this day in Brussels with a joint action in front of the Petit Château. We will gather to form a human chain — a strong and visible gesture affirming that everyone deserves dignity, everyone deserves a place.

Programme: 11:00 — Arrival 11:15 — Welcome and testimonies 11:40 — Human chain 12:00 — Closing remarks Open to everyone

At a time when fundamental rights are under pressure, this action calls for placing humanity back at the centre of migration policies.

The action will include speeches, personal stories and a symbolic installation highlighting the urgency of change and solidarity.

Why the Petit Château: The Petit Château is symbolic as the first reception centre opened 40 years ago, in 1986. It is also symbolic for Fedasil itself: a symbol of resistance against an unworthy reception policy marked by the dismantling of accommodation structures. It is equally a symbol of the resistance of Fedasil workers against the unlawful policy led by Anneleen Van Bossuyt.

Political context

The action on 20 June has, on the one hand, a humanitarian and human dimension through the human chain, but we also want to draw attention to Belgian reception policy. Several elements are at stake. Belgium has already been condemned many times — 15,000 times by a labour court, and in April 2026 by the European Court of Human Rights — for failing to provide reception to people seeking asylum. In addition, in February 2026, the Constitutional Court ruled against several measures proposed by Anneleen Van Bossuyt, but the minister simply ignored this decision. We want to use these facts to bring reception policy back to the forefront and to show clearly that this policy is both inhumane and illegal.

The human chain stands in contrast to this cold policy: it symbolises solidarity, as well as the richness that migration brings to society. It is also linked to the activities planned in the afternoon.

Photo © Amitié Sans Frontières

📢 NoWeapon.world is heading to Brussels for edition #4!

What happens when an industry produces weapons that can’t be sold? We answer with art.

We are officially launching our OPEN CALL FOR ARTISTS! In a world where the arms trade fuels conflict, we use visual communication to challenge the status quo. We’re looking for posters that provoke, inspire, and imagine a world where weapons are obsolete.

THE STAGE: Selected artworks will be displayed as public posters throughout the streets of Brussels and showcased in a special exhibition at the House of Compassion starting April 11.

HOW TO PARTICIPATE: Deadline: 09.03.2026 Link: https://www.noweapon.world/open-call-artist/

Let’s transform the streets of Brussels into a canvas for a future without weapons. Tag an artist who needs to see this! Visuals developed with AI tools as a creative medium for edition #4.

🌿 Join the Zinneke Parade with Sabine!

This year, we are delighted to take part in the Zinneke Parade alongside Sabine, the Giant of Dignity, the Giant of the Undocumented People. Her costume will be a collective artwork: Sabine will become a tree whose roots give rise to dreams of dignity. She will be the heart of our Zinnode.

To make sure everyone can contribute, we need you already now. 👉 It is important to register quickly so that we can plan and create your costume.

🧵 Creation workshops – Theme: branches

The first workshops will take place at Het Anker Rue Marcq 25, Bruxelles, Belgium

  • 2 March – 2 pm to 4 pm
  • 9 March – 2 pm to 4 pm
  • 16 March – 2 pm to 4 pm

There, we will begin the weaving that will form the elements of Sabine’s costume, guided by artists who will accompany us.

🌱 A costume woven by everyone

From early April onwards, the weaving of Sabine’s costume will continue in the church during open workshops. Every visitor, every passer-by, every member of our community will be able to add a thread. A simple gesture, yet one that weaves together our shared dreams of dignity.

🤝 Call for volunteers: “buddies” for people with reduced mobility

We are also looking for volunteers to accompany people with reduced mobility on the day of the Zinneke. A vital presence to ensure the parade is truly inclusive.

🎉 Now it’s our turn: come weave, come create, come walk with us. Together, let’s make this Zinneke a living celebration of solidarity and shared beauty.

Registration: coord@houseofcompassion.be

© Geneviève Frère

OPEN Call For all artists to apply for the summer exhibition

‘WOOD(S)’
@ House of Compassion (Begijnhofkerk) – Brussels
From July 1st till August 30th.

The working title is ‘WOOD(S)’

The exhibition will focus on all kinds of WOODWORK – installations,
sculptures, photos, video & performance – expressing the multiple facets of
wood in art.

Themes such as Life Force, memory, history, ecology, sound, music,
construction, utility and framing can be in the heart of the artistic expression
of ‘WOOD(S)’

Send us your proposal documented with photos or videos to:
coord@houseofcompassion.be
Before the 30th of April.

The candidates will then be selected for the big summer exhibition (July &
August 2026) in the heart of Brussels.
By the end of May we will invite the selected artists to visit the location for
further coordination.
We also warmly welcome emerging artists to participate.

House of Compassion is a thematic church dedicated to justice and
compassion. All convictions are welcome.

CommemorAction

On 6 February, together with a delegation from House of Compassion, we took part in a “CommemorAction” aimed at making visible the lives shattered by border policies.
Below, we invite you to read the article by journalist Anne Lodester for the Pressenza news agency.

© Riet D’Hont

For a city that leaves no one behind

Dear Brussels resident,

It is with growing concern that we, several Brussels-based organisations inspired by the Gospel, observe that solidarity is increasingly being presented as having fixed and unavoidable limits. As if it were inevitable that not everyone can be helped, that some people must be left behind, and that we should simply accept this.

This way of thinking is far from abstract. Today, it results in harsh realities where people are quite literally left behind. In Brussels, people sleep on the streets because access to shelter is no longer guaranteed, because there is said to be “no space”. This is not a law of nature, but the consequence of choices.

We are also seriously worried about the policies currently being implemented and those announced for the future. Vulnerable people risk being pushed further into poverty, the pressure on Public Social Welfare Centres continues to increase, and fundamental social rights are under growing strain. In this way, we are not only dismantling social systems, but also something essential to our humanity and our cohesion.

From our faith convictions, but also simply as citizens, we cannot and do not want to accept this. That is why we clearly affirm:

Solidarity must never be interpreted in a restrictive way that excludes certain people. On the contrary, it must be broad enough to respect the dignity of every human being.

We invite you to share this message with us throughout the coming year: in words and in actions, by showing concrete solidarity, but also by continuing to put pressure on political decision-makers so that they take decisions that consider the most vulnerable. True progress is only possible if we choose to leave no one behind. Let us work together in this direction in 2026.

In a spirit of solidarity and determination,

The Brussels Council for Solidarity, composed of: Ria Dereymaeker (CCV), Edward Bekaert (Bruxelles Accueil Porte Ouverte), Geneviève Frère (House of Compassion), Daan Lambrechts (Welzijnszorg), Marie-Françoise Boveroulle (Vicariat de Bruxelles), Els van Doren (Chiro), Stijn Van Tongerloo (NRV), Laura Vercammen (Broederlijk Delen), Franciska Aelbrecht (ORBIT vzw), Tijs De Geyndt (Beweging.net), Daniel Alliet (House of Compassion) & Johnny De Mot (Goede Bijstand, Paulusgemeenschappen Brussel)

To read the original version of the letter in French and Dutch, click here.

© Photo taken by Amnesty in front of House of Compassion

“Compassion is a responsability”

Intervention by Natacha Mugisi Tchitembo during the Action and Contemplation weekend organised by House of Compassion at the Rock-in-Squat.

Dear members of House of Compassion,
Dear participants,
Dear brothers and sisters,
I thank you for the invitation extended to me today.
Your institution bears a powerful name: House of Compassion,
A house, and a compassion.
Two words which, for us, women without papers, are not concepts but vital needs.

In the Christian tradition, compassion is not an emotion; it is a responsibility.
Today, I come to speak to you on behalf of the Committee of Women without Papers, of which I am one of the spokespersons,
On behalf of the collective The Echo of the Voice, which I founded,
On behalf of the occupation The Divine Grace, of which I am the initiator and coordinator,
And on behalf of all those who are not seen, but whom God has never ceased to see.

The lived reality of women without papers:
A question of human dignity
The Church reminds us that
every person is created in the image of God.
And yet, in our societies,
women and children live without recognition,
without security,
without rights.

To be a woman without papers
is to live in daily fear:
fear of controls,
fear of denunciation,
fear of deportation.

Socially,
we often work in essential
but invisible sectors:
care, cleaning, support.

Culturally,
we are reduced to silence.
Our voices are not considered legitimate.

Politically,
we are absent from decision-making spaces,
even though decisions affect us directly.

This reality is not only social.
It is moral.
It is spiritual.

Speech as a path to liberation
In the Bible,
God always begins by hearing the cry.
“I have seen the misery of my people,
I have heard their cry.”
(Exodus 3:7)

We too cried out.
But for a long time, no one listened.
That is why we chose to speak collectively.
Speech became for us an act of liberation,
an act of faith,
an act of non-violent resistance.

The Invisibles:
When singing becomes prayer and protest
This is how the Committee’s choir was born:
The Invisibles

In the Christian tradition,
singing is a prayer.
But it is also a proclamation.
Our songs are contemporary psalms.
They speak of exile,
of waiting,
of hope.

When we sing in public space, we do what the prophets did: we remind society of its responsibilities.

Art and conscience: the undocumented candidacy
Our path crossed that of the artist Anna Rispoli.
With her,
we took part in a powerful action:
the symbolic candidacy
of a woman without papers,
a role I embodied,
“The mayor of the twentieth commune” during the municipal elections.

This action raised a deeply ethical question:
Can we speak of justice when part of the population has no political voice?

This artistic gesture opened a space for reflection,
not against institutions,
but to awaken consciences.

We also wrote a memorandum in which you can find our various demands.

A home for women and children: The Divine Grace
In my Christian tradition,
the home is a sacred place.

Faced with the precariousness of the women of the Committee
and their children,
the idea was born to create a space of welcome, safety, and rebuilding.
This is how The Divine Grace came into being.

This name expresses our deep conviction:
dignity is not earned,
it is given by God.

The Echo of the Voice: Making the Invisible resonate within institutions
The collective The Echo of the Voice was created so that our words would not remain confined.
An echo
is a voice that passes through walls.

In this spirit, we met
seven mayors,
not in a logic of confrontation,
but of responsible dialogue.

We presented them with a clear project:
– the need for a building,
– a dignified place,
– a space of shared humanity.

Conclusion
A call to active compassion
I will end with a call.
Compassion is not only a feeling.
It is a commitment.

Today,
we are not asking the Church to speak in our place.
We are asking it to walk with us.

Because every invisible woman is a sister.
Because every child without safety is a child of God.

We are here.
We exist.
And we will continue to make the echo of the voice heard.

Thank you.

Photo of the choir of the Committee of Women without Papers during the closing of the “Action and Contemplation” reflection days organised by House of Compassion on 9 and 10 January 2026 at Rock-in-Squat.

Press Invitation: Brussels welcomes Palestinian peace delegation during Peace Light Ceremony

On Wednesday, December 10, Brussels will once again be the setting for the annual Peace Light Ceremony, a symbolic moment during which the light from Bethlehem — a worldwide symbol of peace and unity — is welcomed into the capital.

“The Peace Light transcends borders and brings people together,” says Bénédicte Kusendila (Pax Christi Flanders). “This year in Brussels, we explicitly give space to both Palestinian and Jewish-Israeli voices, listening to each other peacefully.”

This edition takes on a special character: the organization welcomes two Palestinian peace activists from Bethlehem. They are Roger Salameh of the Arab Educational Institute and Zoughbi Alzoughbi of the Wi’am Centre, a center for mediation and reconciliation.

The ceremony is organized by Pax Christi Flanders, House of Compassion, and Peace Light Belgium, and in Brussels it will be given special meaning through the presence of the two Palestinian peace activists from Bethlehem:

  • Roger Salameh (Arab Educational Institute)
  • Zoughbi Alzoughbi (Wi’am Centre for mediation and reconciliation)

They will share personal testimonies about life in the West Bank and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. As Christian Palestinian peace workers, they emphasize the importance of dialogue, mediation, and local reconciliation.

The delegation will be in Belgium from December 8 to 17, 2025, for a series of meetings, with the Brussels ceremony as one of the central moments.

Press moment in Brussels Brussels journalists will have the opportunity to interview the activists and then attend the ceremony.

📅 Wednesday, December 10 ⏰ 2:30 PM – 4:30 PM 📍 Begijnhofplein, 1000 Brussels

Do you have any questions or interest in interviewing the Palestinian peace activists? You can always contact Annemarie Gielen, Israel-Palestine expert at Pax Christi and spokesperson for the Antwerp Coalition for Palestine (0485 54 59 58 – Annemarie@paxchristi.be).

Pax Christi Flanders is a peace movement committed to a just and safe world for everyone.

Christmas Message from Father Daniel

You don’t put a child on the street. Period!!!

As I write this, that sentence is clearly visible on the placard held by the “Giant of the Dignity of People Without Legal Stay” at House of Compassion (also known as the Beguinage Church). And this right next to three tents where families live with a total of eight* children… put out on the street by the new law of 01/08/2025, which stipulates that those who have already obtained asylum elsewhere can no longer be received here, not even during an asylum application procedure… not even if they come from Greece, not even when it is known that the Belgian State has already been condemned dozens of times for sending people back to Greece and its degrading reception conditions. We claim to be proud of having signed the Convention on the Rights of the Child, but we refuse to apply the rulings of judges who forbid sending these children/families back to Greece… A bit like that politician who declared on the program De Afspraak that we, Western countries, should not be too modest, but even proud of having voted in 1948 for the Universal Declaration of Human Rights… without remembering that all those Western countries that still had colonies at the time continued, after 1948, to spend billions to keep them as long as possible (in the name of… Human Rights?), and that some colonial powers still killed thousands of people (cf. the Netherlands: 300,000 deaths; and in Paris, on 17 October 1961, 100 Algerian protesters thrown into the Seine).

Photo Geneviève Frère: Beginning of the action “No children on the street. Period!” at House of Compassion

A few years ago, we protested for many months with the placard: “You don’t lock up a child. Period.”, until that stopped. Today, the slogan must be: “You don’t put a child on the street.”… A matter of “progress” (sic)?… down the slippery slope of migration policy?!? Once, there were passionate Belgium–Netherlands football matches, to score the most goals. Today, it is Belgium–Netherlands competition in migration policy… to achieve the worst score… and thus tell the world/asylum seekers: no, you are not welcome here.

But in reality, we did not have to wait for this new law of 1 August to see children on the street. In De Standaard of 13/11/2025, one could read: during the ten and a half months of 2025, 150 babies had already been received by Samusocial, and between 1/9 and 12/11/2025, Samusocial had to put 2,164 people (that is, 613 families) on the street for lack of space; at the beginning of September, even a family with a baby of 18 months, and another week in September, 100 people without shelter (including 30 children!). “In a welfare state, we cannot possibly accept that mothers with young children and even babies end up on the street,” said director Sarah de Limanchine… but IT DOES happen! And that same month, the federal government announced that with its austerity policy, it would no longer participate in funding winter reception in major cities, leaving Brussels to manage without this support… including for many “internal refugees/poor” coming from within the country and ending up in the streets of Brussels.

We celebrate Christmas… a child/a family on the street. And we swear, in a way: this cannot happen, at Christmas a child/a family on the street. No, this cannot, this must never happen: a family on the street, even outside of Christmas. THANK YOU for what you do so that this does not have to happen.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 2026

Daniel Alliet

*3 children under 10 are still today at House of Compassion, we still hope for them to find a place in a center.

Photo: Geneviève Frère: “Sleeping bag operation” in front of the Palace of Justice with Amnesty, Vluchtelingenwerk Vlaanderen, Bel Refugee Platform and House of Compassion (with the participation of members of the Paulus community).