Catholic Dictionary

Find accurate definitions of over 5,000 Catholic terms and phrases (including abbreviations). Based on Fr. John Hardon's Modern Catholic Dictionary, © Eternal Life. Used with permission.

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REFUGE, CITIES OF

Towns that, according to Jewish law, enjoyed the right of asylum. To justify his right to immunity, the fugitive had to prove that his crime was unpremeditated. He virtually became a prisoner in the city to which he fled. Six cities of refuge are listed in Joshua 20:7-9. The practice was carried over to Christianity in the so-called right of sanctuary.