Austria: A report brings to light that Christians are victims of discrimination in Europe as elsewhere
Acts of aggression, intimidation, humiliation, profanation… The list is long and reveals a climate that is deteriorating from year to year in Europe for Christians. At least, that is what was brought to light in a report published by the Observatory of Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe. The purpose of this “NGO”, newly created in Vienna, Austria, is to “help create a society that is more respectful of religious liberty.” That is what Peter Cardinal Erdö, President of the Council of European Bishops’ Conferences (CCEE), announced on September 30th in Zagreb, during the official creation of this organization. Thus, the spirit of the report pleads in favour of equal treatment of all religions in Europe.
The authors consider that various forms of legal discrimination have appeared which penalized Christians in the exercise of their rights. The report thus notes a tendency to exclude from jobs relating to the public, those persons who express and defend Christian values. Many concrete examples, related by the press or by eye witnesses, are given and reviewed: violations of liberty of conscience (a judge in Spain was suspended for expressing his convictions), violations of freedom of speech (the cancellation of the Pope’s visit to the University of La Sapienza in Italy), attacks on the social dimension of religious liberty (provocation at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris on the part of homosexual activists), attacks on their employment (a lecturer at Oxford manhandled after his conversion to Christianity), and still more attacks relating to education (notably in schools)…
Experts note that in one French village, a Nativity scene even came to be forbidden in the name of laicism. The media was also mentioned. As Vatican Radio notes while commenting on this report on its internet site, “they spread anti-Christian prejudice, whether in an explicit manner or underhandedly. Non-believers have begun to ask themselves questions and feel concern. The Observatory hopes to favour awareness of the issue, for the problem is serious.” So much so that the defamation and insults, attacks on religious symbols, profanations and acts of vandalism of all kinds, and physical assault are not infrequent in Bosnia, Italy, Turkey, or Russia. One need not go as far as China or Pakistan to see that Christians are having more and more difficulty expressing themselves in the public forum. “Although no one talks about it, profanations and acts of vandalism against Christian symbols are becoming more and more frequent in Europe, and the construction of a Church can give rise to protests”, notes Vatican Radio. Finally, the report recalls that the idea of anti-Christian prejudice was accepted over a year ago by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE). (Sources: apic/La Croix/Radio Vatican – DICI, issue number 230, February 19th, 2011)
You can also read :
World News: No Christmas truce for anti-Christian violence
Pakistan: Anti-Christian Persecutions
Iraq: A survivor of the attack in Baghdad tells her story
Iraq : Despite the Elections, the Situation Becomes Worse for the Christians
Iraq : Silence regarding the murder of Christians
