Irish bishops commend ACN, call for greater focus on persecuted Christians
Members of the ACN Ireland team at Knock Shrine in May with auxiliary bishop of Jerusalem, Bishop William Shomali.
Ireland’s bishops have commended the work of papal charity Aid to the Church in Need, which works with persecuted and suffering Christians, and called for greater awareness of the plight of those who are persecuted for their faith.
After their summer general meeting held in Maynooth this week, the Irish bishops’ conference also welcomed the appointment of Co. Louth-based former European Commissioner Mairead McGuinness as the new EU Special Envoy for the Promotion of Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) outside the European Union, filling a vacancy that had existed for over a year.
The statement said: “bishops discussed with deep concern and sadness the continuing persecution of Christians in parts of Nigeria”.
The bishops added: “We reiterate our solidarity with persecuted Christians everywhere, especially in particular situations, such as Nigeria, where they endure profound suffering, discrimination and violence.
“We express the need for greater awareness of this plight of persecuted Christians across the world and commend the work of those bodies and organisations, such as Aid to the Church in Need, that continue to be a beacon of hope for the people and their adherence to the faith,” the statement added.
According to the most recent Religious Freedom in the World Report from Aid to the Church in Need, some 413 million Christians live in countries where religious freedom is severely violated – that’s 18% or about one in five Christians. Of these, approximately 220 million live in countries where they are directly exposed to persecution - that’s 10%, or one in ten of all Christians.
In the statement following their meeting in Maynooth, the bishops added: “Attacks on people because of their faith call on us to, not just pray for the persecuted people in such situations, but to call on government and international bodies to shine a light on this issue as one of global urgency and importance.”
Last year, thanks to the generosity of so many benefactors, Aid to the Church in Need – which was founded in 1947 – supported 5,368 struggling Christian communities in 141 countries. For more information, please see www.acnireland.org