Religious Freedom Report Launch 20 April
On the 20th of April ACN will launch the Religious Freedom in the World Report. This is a unique report from a Catholic organisation that addresses the state of religious freedom in all 196 countries in the world.
By ACN Staff
Launch of the Religious Freedom in the World Report 2018 at the European Parliament. (Credit: Aid to the Church in Need)
Since 1999 Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has been publishing the “Religious Freedom in the World Report” (RFR). On the 20th April 2021, ACN will be launching the 15th edition of this report. A new edition of the report is launched every two years. This is the only report compiled by a Catholic organisation which looks at the state of religious freedom in all 196 countries in the world. The report will be available in six languages.
The official launch of the report will take place in Rome at 11:00 am. There will be parallel launches in Paris and Madrid. Other events will be held in London, Sao Paolo, amongst other places. These events will be mostly online due to COVID-19 restrictions. Art. 18 of the UN’s Declaration of Human Rights states unambiguously that freedom of religion is a fundamental human right. ACN aims to further underline religious freedom as a fundamental human right and document violations of this right around the world in this report. Around the world millions of people are discriminated against, degraded, and persecuted because of their religious beliefs. Christians are by far the most targeted religious group.
The executive president of ACN, Dr. Thomas Heine-Gelder, explains the importance of the report:
“The Religious Freedom in the World Report is a means of raising our voices for those who no longer have the freedom to speak for themselves and who are being persecuted for their faith all over the world.”
He also stated the importance of the report for ACN’s advocacy on behalf of persecuted Christians:
“to start a conversation with many of our fellow citizens, to raise their interest and at the same time to hone their awareness for the issue of religious freedom.”
The report will include a world map with each country categorised according to the state of religious freedom during the period of the report. For the first time, the report will include an analysis of freedom of religion for the 6 regions of the world. The report has been complied by 30 authors from around the world, including research teams at universities. The report is intended to be a tool of advocacy to advance religious freedom, and is targeted at journalists, politicians and academics of all backgrounds.