7-December-2004 -- EWTNews Brief
NEW YORK, UNITED NATIONS, December 7 (CNA) - The
Vatican is urging the United Nations to give acts of hatred and discrimination
against Christians the same recognition as a social evil that is given to such
acts committed against Jews and Muslims.
The Catholic Church made first public mention of this campaign to have the UN
and other international organizations recognize "Christianophobia"
Dec. 3, reported Reuters.
In discussing religious bias, the United Nations Human Rights Commission in
Geneva now speaks of "anti-Semitism, Islamophobia and Christianophobia."
The current General Assembly in New York is expected to approve these terms this
month.
"It should be recognized that the war against terrorism, even though
necessary, had as one of its side-effects the spread of 'Christianophobia' in
vast areas of the globe," said the Vatican's foreign minister, Archbishop
Giovanni Lajolo, at a U.S.-organized conference on religious freedom in Rome
Dec. 3.
According to Reuters, Vatican officials say privately they could not stand
aside while Christian minorities are persecuted in countries worldwide and only
Judaism and Islam get special attention at the U.N.
The Vatican has suggested the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in
Europe in Vienna include Christianophobia as well.