Written declaration No. 418 | Doc. 11812 | 27 January 2009

The persecution of Christian communities in the world

Signatories: Ms Rossana BOLDI, Italy, EDG ; Mr Federico BRICOLO, Italy, EDG ; Ms Patrizia BUGNANO, Italy, ALDE ; Ms Anna Maria CARLONI, Italy, SOC ; Mr Vannino CHITI, Italy, SOC ; Mr Paolo GIARETTA, Italy, ALDE ; Mr Gennaro MALGIERI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Pasquale NESSA, Italy, EPP/CD ; Ms Antigoni PAPADOPOULOS, Cyprus ; Mr Andrea RIGONI, Italy, ALDE ; Mr François ROCHEBLOINE, France, EPP/CD ; Mr Giacinto RUSSO, Italy, ALDE ; Mr Maurizio SAIA, Italy, EDG ; Mr Giacomo SANTINI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Giuseppe SARO, Italy, EPP/CD ; Ms Albertina SOLIANI, Italy, ALDE ; Mr Giuseppe VALENTINO, Italy, EDG ; Mr Luigi VITALI, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Luca VOLONTÈ, Italy, EPP/CD ; Mr Marco ZACCHERA, Italy, EDG

This written declaration commits only those who have signed it.

1. In some countries, Christians are the object of serious acts of violence, which are taking the form of outright persecution.

2. In Eastern India, for instance, an anti-Christian pogrom has started. Sixty Christians were killed and villages, churches and schools were razed to the ground. In the last four years in Iraq, 14 Christians were killed and 50 000 families were displaced.

3. The Council of the Bishops' Conferences of Europe has recently appealed to the governments and institutions of Europe to stop the violence and incitement to religious hatred. Also Pope Benedict II has called public attention to the tragedy affecting Christians in those countries.

4. The issue was on the agenda of the meeting of the European Union foreign ministers of 6 September 2008 and raised by President Sarkozy during the EU-India summit at Marseilles on 30 September 2008.

5. In view of these very serious events, the undersigned members of the Assembly strongly request that such unprecedented violence be brought to a halt and that the fundamental and inalienable right to religious freedom, as enshrined by the Council of Europe, is complied with.