Pope Francis Video: religious persecution is ‘unacceptable, inhuman’
POPE FRANCIS HAS DEVOTED THE JANUARY EDITION OF HIS MONTHLY VIDEO—and with it the prayer intention he entrusts to the entire Catholic Church—to a call and prayer for an end to violations of religious freedom. This month, the Pope Video is sponsored by Aid to the Church in Need (ACN).
In his video message, the Pope asks: “How is it possible that many religious minorities currently suffer discrimination or persecution? How can we allow that in this society, which is so civilized, there are people who are persecuted simply because they publicly profess their faith?”
“Not only is it unacceptable; it’s inhuman, it’s insane,” the Pontiff charges, insisting that religious freedom “is not limited to freedom of worship … Rather, it makes us appreciate others in their differences and recognize them as true brothers and sisters.”
“As human beings, we have so many things in common that we can live alongside each other, welcoming our differences with the joy of being brothers and sisters,” says Pope Francis, adding: “Let us choose the path of fraternity, because either we are brothers and sisters, or we all lose.”
The Pope called on entire Church to “pray that those who suffer discrimination and suffer religious persecution, may find in the societies in which they live the rights and dignity that comes from being brothers and sisters.”
According to the Religious Freedom in the World report published by ACN in April 2021, religious freedom is violated in a third of the countries around the world, home to close to 5.2 billion people. The same document reports that more than 646 million Christians live in countries where religious freedom is not respected.
This topic merits attention declares Thomas Heine-Geldern, executive president of ACN: “Although it is impossible to know the exact number, our research indicates that two-thirds of the world’s population lives in countries where violations of religious freedom occur in one way or another. Surprising? No, this situation has been growing for centuries from the roots of intolerance, through discrimination, to persecution. We firmly believe that the right to be free to practice or not practice any religion is a fundamental human right that is directly related to the dignity of every individual.
“It may sound obvious, but even when human rights are on everyone’s lips, religious freedom often leads a shadowy existence. But this right is the starting point for our entire mission. How could we defend the rights of the Christian community if we did not advocate universal law first? Religion is manipulated again and again to spark war. We at ACN are confronted with it every day. Defending the right to religious freedom is key to debunking these conflicts. The religious communities play a central role when ‘nothing works’ politically or diplomatically in war and crisis regions of the world. The world should be aware that the prospects for peaceful coexistence will be bleak unless freedom of religion or belief is respected as a fundamental human right based on the human dignity of every individual.”
The Pope reminds us that religious freedom is tied to the concept of fraternity. In order to begin walking the paths of fraternity upon which Francis has been insisting for years, it’s imperative that we not only respect others, our neighbors, but that we genuinely value them, as the Pope says, ‘in their differences and recognize them as true brothers and sisters.’”
“For the Holy Father, ‘as human beings, we have so many things in common that we can live alongside each other, welcoming our differences with the joy of being brothers and sisters.’ Without granting this premise, it is impossible to undertake the path towards peace and living side by side with each other,” concludes Dr. Heine-Geldern.
To watch the Pope’s video, please click here.
