200,000 activists tell Europe: stand up for persecuted Christians

Last updated on: October 20, 2014 at 10:26 pm by CNA Daily News

200,000 activists tell Europe: stand up for persecuted Christians 2014-10-20T22:26:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Rome, Italy, Oct 20, 2014 / 04:26 pm (CNA).- More than 200,000 people have signed a petition asking European leaders to offer “real help” for persecuted Christians and other religious minorities around the world.

Luca Volonté, a board member of CitizenGo and president of the international foundation Novae Terrae, told CNA that the petition seeks to address the “critical plight of Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East and in many other part of the world.”

Volonté urged “the Council of Europe, the European Union’s foreign ministers and the European Parliament to put into action policies of asylum and humanitarian aid, to bring this horror to an end.”

Novae Terrae launched a petition in August on CitizenGo, an online platform for human rights advocacy, asking the Council of Europe and other continental leaders to step up in tacking religious persecution on a global scale.

The petition drew renewed attention when a Pakistani court on Oct. 16 upheld the death sentence of Asia Bibi, a Christian mother of five who has been sentenced to death for “blasphemy.”

However, the petition notes, such cases are widespread, and many do not receive public attention.

It points to the example of Pastor Saeed Abedini, a Christian pastor and American citizen who has spent the last 2 years imprisoned in Iran.

“At this very moment, Christians in Iraq are being given an ultimatum: covert, leave or die,” the petition states, emphasizing that Europe’s lack of response to such abuses has been “deafening.”

“According to the International Society for Human Rights, 80 percent of all acts of religious discrimination in the world today are directed at Christians,” the document observes. “The Centre for the Study of Global Christianity in the United States estimates that 100,000 Christians now die every year for their faith –that is one every five minutes. Many other religious minorities are suffering because of violence and persecutions in several countries.”

The plight of Christians in the Middle East, especially in light of the rise of the Islamic State, was a focus of the Oct. 20 consistory of cardinals meeting at the Vatican, and earlier this month, the Vatican Secretariat of State set a meeting with several nuncios to Middle Eastern nations.

In addition, Pope Francis may tackle the issue of religious freedom in his speech at the European Parliament of Strasbourg, scheduled Nov. 25.

The efforts of the international community recently saved the life of Meriam Ibrahim, who was sentenced to death in Sudan for refusing to renounce her Christian faith. She was imprisoned for about two months, giving birth to her second child in prison. Amid international pressure, she was released and allowed to leave the country.

“Meriam Yehya Ibrahim, at least, is safe,” the CitizenGo petition reads. “Not safe are countless Christian women and men, babies, children and elderly people in Iraq and Syria, in Nigeria and Cameroon, in Sudan, Pakistan, Somalia and Egypt, to name just a few. Christians are driven from their homes. They are thrown in jail for blasphemy, and churches are burned and worshippers regularly slaughtered. Girls are abducted and married against their will.”

The petition calls on the European leaders, asking them “to respect their commitments regarding freedom of religion and beliefs, developing policies of asylum and managing European relations towards foreign countries according to their respect of religious freedom.”

Europe

Previous Post

October 20, 2014

Christian ministers told to perform gay 'weddings' or face jail time

Next Post

October 21, 2014 The Passion of Blessed Paul VI - 'Humanae vitae'

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, who ignored the injured man before the Samaritan helped?

Select your answer to see how you score.

A priest and a Levite A farmer and a shepherd A Roman soldier and a scribe A fisherman and a tax collector