Welby condemns silence
The Archbishop of Canterbury has called on politicians, the church and the media to speak out against the creeping climate of fear and animosity at the launch of a new partnership to address the growing problem of violence against Christians worldwide.
The Religious Liberty Commission (RLC), recently launched at Westminster, is calling on the British government to intervene to prevent religious cleansing and violent persecution.
In his keynote address, Justin Welby highlighted the persecution of Christians in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, as well as attacks against Jews in Europe and the firebombing of mosques. He told an audience of parliamentarians and church leaders:
That quiet creeping removals of freedom that create a climate of fear and animosity is why we must speak out. We must speak out in solidarity. Silence is not an option. Treasuring the dignity of each and every human must mean that we treasure their right to religious belief even when we profoundly disagree with them.
The RLC is pressing the Department for International Development to make religious freedom a strategic priority. It is calling for a special envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to report back on persecution worldwide. It also wants the FCO to produce an annual report to demonstrate the steps taken by the UK Government to promote religious freedom.
The RLC is a Commission of the Evangelical Alliance, comprising Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Open Doors UK and Release International. These groups, which have been working for decades to raise awareness of persecution issues, will be collaborating under the banner One voice for the persecuted Church.
A staggering 76 per cent of the world s population live in countries with high restrictions on religious freedom, said Mervyn Thomas, the CEO of Christian Solidarity Worldwide. The vast majority of those facing persecution are Christians. Our purpose is to amplify the cries of the persecuted so the world can no longer ignore them.
According to the RLC, Christians are subject to violence, intimidation and discrimination in more than 50 countries. Some are murdered because of their faith. In the very birthplace of Christianity, the Middle East, the Christian faith is in danger of extinction, said Mervyn Thomas.
A victim of persecution in Eritrea, one of the world s most repressive regimes, described the attacks there against Christians. The Rev Dr Berhane Ashmelash said: Today in Eritrea, Christians are imprisoned and regularly subjected to starvation, heavy labour and solitary confinement. Prison could be an underground pit or a metal shipping container. Torture is frequent. People are tied by both hands and legs and hanged on trees for hours or days. One form of hanging is the Jesus Christ which looks like a crucifix.
The Archbishop of Canterbury welcomed the coordination of voices speaking out against persecution under the one banner of the RLC.
From Parish Pump
We must speak out for religious freedom
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