“If we believe in the fundamental rights and truth of democracy, we cannot ignore the abuses suffered by many religious minorities around the world,” said Javier Menendez Ros, director of the Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) before the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Congress of Deputies. He also noted that the decisions taken by government institutions must be accompanied by effective measures to put pressure on countries that do not respect religious freedom.
Xavier Ross claimed that we “urgently need to know about and report attacks on religious freedom“.
He also highlighted the existence of “a guilty silence in many ways and perceived indifference by the international community, especially the West.”
On the other hand, he stressed the crucial role “of denunciation, pressure and awareness that give rise to civic associations” and denounced “the lack of equality in news coverage” calling for all acts of violence against religious minorities to be registered by all forms of media.
From worrying data gathered by ACN, it is evident that the state of affairs has seriously deteriorated. Evidence indicates that in a third of the world’s countries the situation regarding religious freedom is worsening and in about half there are violations against the right to religious freedom.
It is estimated that some 200 million Christians suffer persecution and 50 million more cannot practice their faith freely.
ACN Malta.
