Violent acts against Christians
Dear Editor,
The sectarian clashes that left 25 dead and more than 300 wounded in Cairo, Egypt, last month are threatening to break the fragile balance among the different Egyptian religious communities. While the Copt community cried over its dead, new clashes were erupting at the doors of the Copt Hospital in Cairo, where 17 Christian victims lay dead.
An Italian newspaper of the Holy See, L’Osservatore Romano, published the declaration made by Pope Benedict XVI on behalf of defending the Christian population in Egypt. The Pope empathised with the families of the victims who were killed due to violent religious intolerance in Egypt. Pope Benedict urged the faithful to pray for society to enjoy true peace based on justice, respect for liberty, and human dignity. www.vatican.va/news_services/or/or_spa/
Furthermore, Al Qaeda planned a Christian killing in Alexandria, Egypt, where only 15 per cent of the population is Christian. In the attack, 20 people were killed. On the other side of the world, hundreds of Islamic extremists put fire to various Christian churches in Indonesia.
According to Fides (the information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927), the number of Christians murdered in Turkey throughout last year was 23, out of which 17 were priests, two seminarians, three seculars, and Bishop Luigi Padovese. In Latin America, 10 priests, a monk, a seminarian, and three seculars were murdered. In Brazil, five Christians were killed. In Colombia, three were assasinated. In Mexico, a total of four Catholics were murdered. In Venezuela, Ecuador, and Haiti, three Christians were victims of radical intolerance as well. Worldwide, a total of 253 Christians have been killed. www.fides.org/index.php?lan=eng
The European Parliament (EP) has enacted a resolution in favour of protecting Christian minorities worldwide. It aims to defame violent agressions carried out against Christian minorities around the world.
Moreover, the EP in Strasbourg reported on the oppressing situation that Christians live today in a context of religious freedom. The communiqué asserts that the European Union has previously voiced its compromise with religious freedom, freedom of conscience, and freedom of expression. The EU has further emphasised that governments around the world have the duty to guarantee these essential freedoms. The EU also reflects upon blasphemy-based death processes and sentences that have mainly affected women.
The latest statistical data about religious freedom throughout the last couple of years shows that most religious-based violent acts are committed against the Christian population. www.europarl.europa.eu/parliament/public/staticDisplay.do?language=EN&id=146
Clemente Ferrer
Madrid, Spain
clementeferrer3@gmail.com