Sanctuary as a moving practice: The dynamics between Diaconia, Liturgy and Politics during the Church Asylum in The Hague 2018-2019

This article seeks to analyze the dynamic relationship between Diakonia, Liturgy and Politics by exploring experiences of participants during a Church Asylum in The Hague (Netherlands) in 2018-2019. Liturgy and Diaconia are often considered two distinct practices in the daily life of the Church; one a liturgical ritual confined to the boundaries of the Church and the inner circle of Christians, the other a service to people in need, both in- and outside the Church. During the Sanctuary in The Hague, both Liturgy and Diaconia were interconnected in an inextricable way, as the safety of the family in the Church Asylum depended on a ‘neverending’ worship service.
In this casus we can speak of ‘moving identities’ in a twofold way. First, compassion is a core concept in Diaconia: participants joined in the Sanctuary because they were moved by the fate of the family in question; from there they engaged to move positions in the political arena. Secondly, aspects of the identity of the church in society started to move as political, diaconal and liturgical identities met during the Sanctuary.
In order to clarify the character of the dynamics between Politics, Liturgy and Diaconia, I will focus on the following question: How did the political context of migration and asylum-policies in the Netherlands, especially the so called ‘Children’s Amnesty’ shaped the experience of the organizers and the participating pastors of the Sanctuary?
In the first part of this article I will identify the Sanctuary as a ‘moving’ diaconal practice and describe its political and ecclesial context. In the second part I will analyze the results of interviews with organizers and participants on their evaluation of the role of the political context of the Sanctuary. I will conclude by identifying in what way the Sanctuary caused Liturgical and Diaconal identities to move.