he Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Winchester, has backed an open letter published by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) (UK) calling on the UK Government to make persecuted Christians and religious minorities priority recipients of Overseas Development Aid (ODA).
Bishop Mounstephen commented: “I’m proud to stand with ACN on this vitally important issue.
“Persecution of Christians and religious minorities is a grave and growing problem throughout the world, and the UK has an obligation to use its considerable resources and influence to help in any way possible. I encourage everyone to get behind this open letter.”
According to the US-based Pew Research Center, Christians are persecuted in more countries than any other faith group and human rights observatories have shown that oppression and discrimination against them and other faith groups is worsening in many parts of the globe.
Since Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) (UK) published the letter in October, more than 9,300 people have signed it.
Addressed to Foreign Secretary David Lammy, the letter states: “All around the world today, people are persecuted for no other reason than because of their peacefully held religious beliefs. They urgently need the UK’s help.
“There are currently 61 countries throughout the world, with combined populations of over 4.9 billion people, in which severe violations of religious freedom take place, according to analysis by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).”
The letter makes two recommendations for the new Labour government to address the issue of religious persecution and discrimination around the world:
“1. The addition of a fifth priority to the UK’s international development plan, centring around religious minorities;
“2. The publication of a standalone religious freedom strategy to outline the most effective means of aid deployment to victims of religious discrimination and persecution.”
Bishop Mounstephen is the former Bishop of Truro and led the Independent Review for the Foreign Secretary of FCO Support for Persecuted Christians, commissioned by the UK Government in 2019.
The review sets out 22 recommendations for how the Government can bolster support for persecuted Christians around the world.
