She was speaking at a meeting of the Council of Bishops' Conferences of Europe (CCEE) and Conference of European Churches joint committee in Istanbul on March 8 2010, a media statement said.

"The role of the Church would therefore be to stand with migrant brothers and sisters and to uphold their rights and dignity," Peschke said.

"This would be grounded in the belief that Christians indeed in meeting migrants do not only meet brothers and sisters but Jesus himself, particularly in migrants in need," she said.

Churches could also play a crucial role in educating host societies for their encounter with migrants, according to Peschke.

Johan Ketelers, Secretary General of the International Catholic Migration Commission (ICMC), said that it was necessary to acknowledge that migrants are not simply providers of manpower and economic opportunity, but first and foremost fellow human beings.

"We need also recognise that only a situation of safety and stability for migrants and their families, including undocumented migrants, will enable them to develop their full potential as actors of development," Ketelers said.

CCEE president Cardinal Péter Erdő said "Christians in Europe are called to deal with the great challenge of migration by keeping a balanced approach between justice and charity".

The media statement said that, on the occasion of the year of European Churches responding to migration promoted by CEC for 2010, migration was chosen as the main theme.

"The aim is to improve the visibility of the churches’ commitment towards strangers, responding to the message of the Bible and to promote an inclusive policy for migrants, refugees and ethnic minority groups, through work for and with migrants, refugees and ethnic minority groups at a European and a national level," the statement said.

The CEC is a communion of 120 Orthodox, Protestant, Anglican and Old Catholic Churches of all European Countries, and 40 associated organisations.

The CCEE gathers the presidents of the current 33 European Bishops’ Conferences of Europe, represented by their presidents, and the Archbishops of Luxembourg, the Principality of Monaco, and the Maronite Archbishop of Cyprus, as well as the Bishop of Chişinău (Republic of Moldova).