New coalition will push case for religious freedom
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 Most Reverend and Rt Hon Justin Welby spoke out at the launch of The Religious Liberty Commission (RLC) which is calling upon the government to take concrete steps to prevent religious cleansing and persecution.
Highlighting the persecution of Christians in the Middle East, Saudi Arabia and Pakistan, attacks against Jews in Europe and the firebombing of mosques, he told an audience of parliamentarians and church leaders:
“Those quiet creeping removals of freedom that create a climate of fear and animosity are why we must speak out. We must speak out in solidarity. Silence is not an option.”
The RLC 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 with an annual report of the UK Government’s efforts to promote religious freedom.
The RLC is a Commission of the Evangelical Alliance, comprising Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Open Doors UK and Release International. These four respected charities have been working for decades to raise awareness of persecution issues and will now collaborate under the banner ‘One voice for the persecuted Church.’