More than 100 people gathered at St John's Cathedral for sanctuary training Credit:Scott Patterson

"We are facilitating today the training that will enable people to help make this happen because in the end it is a movement of the people, a sanctuary will only work if it has popular support," he said.

"If someone was to seek sanctuary here and Border Force happen to turn up to take them away then the only thing that would prevent them really was the fact there was lots of people around, as happened at the Lady Cilento Children's Hospital."

The public swell of support for baby Asha at Lady Cilento Children's Hospital more than a month ago was referred to numerous times on Sunday as an example of how a successful sanctuary could operate.

"It was a real grounding experience, taking the concept of sanctuary, which could be seen as academic, to say 'Actually that hospital became a place of sanctuary' and all it took was a few doctors to say 'We want to provide sanctuary and we want some help' and all these other people came out and all they had to do was be present," Dr Catt said.