Yesterday in Parliament, the Foreign and Commonwealth Secretary, Jeremy Hunt MP, announced an independent review into the persecution of Christians around the world with the aim of recommending what further action the U.K. can undertake to prevent this from happening. He also confirmed the appointment of the Bishop of Truro to undertake this important review. The terms of reference for the review were agreed last week and the FCO will enable the Bishop to work across government departments.
It’s a little known fact that around 80% of the people who suffer persecution for their faith are Christians, often in some of the poorest countries in the world, particularly in the Middle East which 100 years ago had a population that was about 20% Christian and that has fallen to 5% today.
Commenting on the review, local MP Sarah Newton said: “The U.K. has long championed freedom of religion and I am delighted that the Bishop of Truro is leading this important review. No one should have to suffer persecution for their faith. There is a great deal of local interest in the persecution of Christians around the world and a few years ago I was pleased to speak at a conference on this subject at the Methodist Church in Truro. That conference and the campaigning of organisations like Open Doors raise awareness of this important issue. With estimates of around 240 million persecuted Christians around the world, this is a huge issue.”
