Russian Church: E.U. Needs to Do More to Protect Christians
ICC Note: Not only should the EU do more to protect Christians around the world, it needs to continue to vigorously uphold religious freedom in its own borders.
By Ethan Cole
5/6/08 European Union (ChristianPost.com) – The European Union should do more to protect Christians worldwide, said the representative of the Russian Church to European Union officials on Monday.
Bishop Hilarion of Vienna and Austria, the Russian Church representative to European international organizations, spoke up for persecuted Christians during a meeting between E.U. officials and some 20 European religious leaders in Brussels, Belgium.
“Tolerance should not cause detriment to Christians, who still make up the majority of the European population,” said Hilarion, according to Interfax news service, which focuses on news about Russia and countries of the former Soviet Union. “Phobia and discrimination of Christians should be condemned officially.”
He reminded officials of Europe’s Christian heritage and called on the E.U. to help preserve the continent’s history.
“[Christian] churches are being ruined and thousands of Christians are homeless and banished in Kosovo,” the bishop said.
He added, “This is also the case of the Cypriot area illegally occupied by Turkish forces. Churches are destroyed and Christians are suffering there.”
In a recent Christian Post interview, Cyprus’ ambassador to the United States, Andreas Kakouris, talked about the more than 530 churches and monasteries that were pillaged and destroyed in northern Cyprus after Turkish forces took over the land in 1974… [Go To Full Story]
