VATICAN, Mar. 16, 01 (CWNews.com) -- The persecution of Christians is becoming more common around the world--even in countries that once enjoyed a measure of religious freedom--and 200 million people are now suffering for the faith, according to the director of Aid to the Church in Need.
Attilio Tamburini, the head of the worldwide relief organization, spoke to the Italian daily La Stampa about his organization's annual report, which provided a summary of the acts of intolerance, discrimination, and persecution that Christians endure in different countries. The report itself will not be available until May.
In year 2000 alone, the report indicates, 165,000 Christians died because of religious or ethnic clashes: in Sudan, Indonesia, East Timor, India, and Egypt. But Tamburini observed that while most of the deaths occurred in Third World countries, new forms of religious discrimination were arising in countries such as France, where new legislation against "sects" has prompted protests from Catholic, Jewish, and Evangelical leaders.
Tamburini suggested that the UN should create a new position: a permanent observer to monitor the state of religious freedom throughout the world. Citing the Pope, he remarked that "religious freedom is not a subject that concerns any particular confession, but a natural right that applies to all men."