Vatican presses the UN to recognise 'Christianophobia'
By Jonathan Petre, Religion Correspondent
(Filed: 07/12/2004)
The Vatican is pressing the United Nations to recognise "Christianophobia" as
an evil equal to that of anti-Semitism or "Islamophobia".
Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, the Vatican's foreign minister, said anti-Christian
feeling had increased, exacerbated by the war on terrorism.
He said Christianity was often mistakenly seen as being inextricably linked
with Western political policy, and had suffered as a result in the backlash
against the West.
His comments, at a conference in Rome, were primarily aimed at Middle Eastern
countries such as Iraq, where insurgents have bombed a number of churches.
But he also echoed Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, a leading contender to be the
next Pope, who said last month that parts of Europe were so now secular that
Christianity was being pushed into the margins.
Archbishop Lajolo disclosed that Vatican diplomats were discreetly attempting
to persuade the UN and other bodies to recognise the previously almost unheard
of term "Christianophobia".
"It should be recognised that the war on terrorism, even though necessary, had
as one of its side-effects the spread of 'Christianophobia' in vast areas of
the globe," he told the conference. The UN General Assembly in New York is to
debate the issue later this month.
Speaking to reporters after his speech, the archbishop said anti-Christian and
anti-Catholic sentiments were not only to be found in Muslim countries.
Hostility existed in states where Church-sponsored schools or charities were
perceived as thinly-veiled attempts at proselytism.
The Vatican is pressing its case despite failing to persuade the European Union
to include a reference to the continent's Christian heritage in its new
constitution.
The Vatican campaign has provoked a mixed reaction, with some Christian human
rights activists arguing that it could prove counter-productive.
Alexandra Aula of Franciscans International, a Catholic pressure group based in
Geneva, said: "Obviously we have seen many countries where Christian minorities
are in danger, but we don't think this is the appropriate way to really ensure
protection.
"What we fear is that this is the way to start eroding universal human rights.
You will then have Sikhs and Buddhists and all the others coming and claiming
rights. Where does it end?"
But Vatican officials said privately that they could not stand aside while
Judaism and Islam got special attention at the UN. The organisation demands
regular reports from member countries on issues officially recognised as
international concerns.
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