A Church of England bishop who headed a review into the UK Foreign and Commonwealth Office’s support for persecuted Christians has welcomed the government’s decision to accept all its recommendations, saying he hopes it will be a catalyst for change.
Drawing on evidence from various recent studies and surveys, the report found that Christians are the most widely targeted religious community around the world and that acts of violence and intimidation against them are becoming more widespread. The report was handed to the UK Government earlier this month. Speaking in the House of Commons last week, Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan, said the recommendations would be accepted in full and that a whole-of-government response was needed to respond to the issue.
Philip Mounstephen, the Bishop of Truro, said he was “very pleased” that the UK Government had decided to accept all of the recommendations from the report, which included that freedom of religion or belief be made central to the FCO’s “culture, policies and international operations” and that the office development a “religiously literate” operational approach.
Bishop Mounstephen said he was “delighted” that Sir Alan had formally recognised the need for a response across the whole of government.
“Our review was restricted to looking at the support from the FCO, but there was a feeling from the outset that this needs a cross-governmental approach, as this crucial issue traverses many boundaries and is not something that can be neatly compartmentalised,” he said.
“Accepting the recommendations in full is a measure of how seriously the government is taking this issue and, I hope, a recognition at the highest level that freedom of religion or belief is a fundamental human right – and one that is inextricably interconnected with other basic human rights, as well as issues such as security. For wherever we see this right compromised we can be confident there are other, darker forces at work.”
He said it was his hope that “over the coming months and years the implementation of these recommendations will have a significant impact in the role the UK is able to play, and that the report will become a catalyst for change and enable Britain to pursue an aspiration to be the global leader in championing this right”.