EU Ministers in Discord on ‘Christianity’ and persecution
ICC Note
A declaration condemning the persecution of religious groups failed to be adopted after some European ministers opposed the inclusion of the word “Christians” in the declaration.
By Andrew Willis
02/01/2011 EU (EUOBSERVER)-A row over specific references to Christianity has prevented EU foreign ministers from agreeing a joint declaration condemning religious persecution, despite a recent spate of attacks on minorities in Iraq and Egypt.
Instead, a draft text which called on EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton to come up with “concrete proposals” to boost freedom of religion was sent back to the drawing board on Monday evening (31 January).
Italian foreign minister Franco Frattini led opposition to the text which “firmly” condemned the “acts of terrorism targeting places of worship”, claiming the document showed an “excess of secularism”.
“The final text didn’t include any mention of Christians, as if we were talking of something else, so I asked the text to be withdrawn,” he told reporters in Brussels.
France reportedly backed Italy on the need to include references to specific minorities, including Christians and Shi’ite Muslims.
A number of Nordic countries and the UK were uncomfortable with references to specific religions however, fearing a “clash of civilisations,” one diplomat told AFP.
Ms Ashton said the 27 ministers had agreed to “go back and reflect” on how the bloc could “make sure we recognise individual communities of whatever religion who find themselves being harassed”.
France, Italy, Hungary and Poland were among EU states that had called for Monday’s discussion on the persecution of Christians after a number of recent attacks appeared to target the religious group.
The bombing of a church in Baghdad in October killed 46 people and an apparent suicide attack against a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria, Egypt in December that left 21 dead.
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