By Martin Banks - 2nd February 2011
The recent attacks against Christians are not isolated cases
COMECE
EU foreign ministers have been strongly criticised for failing to condemn attacks on religious minorities in the Islamic world.
It follows the failure of foreign ministers to agree at a meeting in Brussels this week on a condemnation of sectarian attacks over the Christmas period that targeted Christians in Egypt and Iraq.
The EU's foreign affairs chief Catherine Ashton was also rebuked by Italy's foreign minister Franco Frattini who accused her of "excessive" political correctness because she refused to name any specific religious group as victims of attacks.
The failure to agree on a statement was slammed by the Brussels-based organisation that represents Catholic bishops in Europe.
The Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (COMECE) said it "very much regrets" the ministers' failure to agree on a joint declaration condemning "religious persecution".
In a statement, it said, "This diplomatic wavering is all the more incomprehensible as innocent lives are being cut short in atrocious attacks against Christians and other minorities all over the world.
"The agreement failed due to internal wrangling among the ministers over a specific reference to Christians being included as victims of religious persecution.
"COMECE wonders about this wavering since public opinion in Europe has already become aware of the particular situation of Christians in the Middle East after the recent attacks on churches in Iraq and Egypt."
It said that last week both parliament and the Council of Europe had "already paved the way" for a specific condemnation of the persecution of Christians by adopting both resolutions explicitly condemning violence against Christians.
It went on, "The recent attacks against Christians are not isolated cases. Statistics on religious freedom in recent years show that the majority of acts of religious violence are perpetrated against Christians.
"The situation has become more serious in the Middle East, especially in Iraq where persecution could lead in the coming months to the disappearance of Christian communities.
"The commitment of the EU to stand for fundamental rights and religious freedom is clearly stated in the EU treaty and in the charter of fundamental rights and has been reaffirmed in many declarations.
"We now expect that the EU will take concrete measures to turn these general principles into significant political action."
Have your say...
Please enter your comments below.