Asked by: Andrew Rosindell (Conservative - Romford)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, what assessment he has made of the extent of the persecution of Christians in Africa.
Answered by Andrew Mitchell - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office) (Minister for Development)
The UK is committed to defending Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) for all. We monitor the situation for religious and non-religious communities globally and recognise the persecution of Christians and other groups on account of their faith or beliefs, including in Africa. We work multilaterally and bilaterally to promote FoRB, and it remains an important priority for our work in Africa. The Prime Minister's Special Envoy for FoRB, the Honourable member for Congleton, plays an active role in supporting this work and spoke at the launch of Aid to the Church in Need's Africa focussed report in Parliament on 24 October.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question
To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what discussions he has had with representatives of the arch-diocese of Jerusalem on damage to graves at the Protestant Cemetery on Mount Zion in January 2023; and what steps he plans to take to (a) help promote religious acceptance and harmony in the UK and (b) prevent vandalism at cemeteries.
Answered by Andrew Selous - Second Church Estates Commissioner
The escalating violence in Jerusalem and the occupied Palestinian territories is of deep concern. Representatives of the Church continue to work closely with the Department of Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs, the British Consulate in Jerusalem, the Heads of Churches in Jerusalem and other faith leaders in the city. The Archbishop of Canterbury remains in close contact with the Archbishop of the Diocese of Jerusalem, the Rt Revd Hosam Naoum, and the Bishop of Southwark regularly visits the region with Roman Catholic bishops as part of the Holy Land Coordination Group.
Following the attacks, the Archbishop of Canterbury issued a statement that read, “The desecration of Christian graves in Jerusalem is a blasphemous act. I join the Chief Rabbi [Ephraim Mirvis] and religious leaders in Jerusalem in condemning it and hope those responsible will be brought swiftly to justice. As we continue to pray for peace in the Holy Land, I stand with Archbishop Hosam Naoum and other Jerusalem church leaders in calling for respect, protection, equality and justice for its Christian community – who are the Living Stones of the church.”
Interviewed immediately after the attacks Archbishop Naoum spoke about the increasing use of exclusion, segregation, and intolerance alongside increasing attacks on the holy sites.
The Heads of Churches in Jerusalem have urged all sides to "actively reaffirm their commitment to a promotion of an environment of safety, mutual respect and religious tolerance in the Holy Land." They also called for assurances to be given to the Christian community in Jerusalem following the increasing levels of extremist threats against them. At a recent meeting with the Jordanian Parliament Committee of External Affairs in Amman, the Heads of Churches raised concerns about the future of a continued presence of Christians, specifically Arabic Christians, in Jordan, Jerusalem and the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
The statement by the Anglican Archbishop of Jerusalem, the Rt Revd Hosam Naoum, can be read here: https://j-diocese.org/wordpress/2023/01/04/statement-on-the-recent-vandalism-and-desecration-of-the-protestant-cemetery-on-mt-zion-4-january-2023/
The statements of the Patriarchs and Head of all Churches in Jerusalem can be read here: https://j-diocese.org/wordpress/2023/01/05/head-of-churches-statement-on-the-recent-vandalism-desecration-of-the-protestant-cemetery-on-mt-zion/
The statement of the World Council of Churches can be read here: https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/documents/wcc-statement-on-desecration-of-historic-protestant-cemetery-in-jerusalem
Asked by: Ben Bradshaw (Labour - Exeter)
Question
To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, what meetings he has held in his capacity as Second Church Estates Commissioner with (a) evangelical groups and (b) groups representing other traditions in the Church of England in the last 12 months.
Answered by Andrew Selous - Second Church Estates Commissioner
In the twelve month period since February 2022 I have met with representatives of the groups listed below. This is in addition to the large number of regular meetings I have held with the National Church Institutions boards, committees and officials, and with individual bishops, Government ministers, officials, and Members of Parliament
2022
1 March: Evangelical Alliance Freedom of Religious Belief Conference
31 March: Meeting with Anglican Communion Primates in Parliament
5 July: Chaired the annual Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast. More details at: 2022 Programme – Christians in Parliament
5 July: Meeting with representative of Anna Chaplaincy
5 July: Attended No.10 Downing Street reception on Freedom of Religion & Belief
3 August: Attended the Lambeth Day of The Lambeth Conference
7 November: Meeting with representatives of the CofE Evangelical Council
19 December: Meeting with Bishop Graham Tomlin, Centre for Cultural Witness
2023
18 January: Attended the launch of the Open Doors Watch List
30 January: Attended meeting between Archbishop of Canterbury and MPs/Peers supportive of same-sex marriage in the Church of England
8 February: Attended meeting of the Church of England General Synod
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question
To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church Commissioners have had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on taking steps to help tackle (a) violence against and (b) the abduction of Christians in Nigeria in the last 18 months.
Answered by Andrew Selous - Second Church Estates Commissioner
Bishops and officials of the Church of England regularly engage with Ministers and officials at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on a range of thematic and geographic concerns regarding freedom of religion or belief, which include the human rights situation in China, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria. Bishops in the House of Lords regularly raise concerns about the same through questions to Government. Details of these can be seen at:
Nigeria: Nigeria – The Church of England in Parliament (churchinparliament.org)
Democratic Republic of Congo: The Church of England in Parliament (churchinparliament.org)
China: China – The Church of England in Parliament (churchinparliament.org)Most recently on 17th November the Bishop of St Albans led a debate in the House of Lords on allegations of human rights abuses in China.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question
To ask the Member for South West Bedfordshire, representing the Church Commissioners, whether the Church Commissioners have had recent discussions with the Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs on taking steps to help tackle violence against Christians in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
Answered by Andrew Selous - Second Church Estates Commissioner
Bishops and officials of the Church of England regularly engage with Ministers and officials at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office on a range of thematic and geographic concerns regarding freedom of religion or belief, which include the human rights situation in China, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Nigeria. Bishops in the House of Lords regularly raise concerns about the same through questions to Government. Details of these can be seen at:
Nigeria: Nigeria – The Church of England in Parliament (churchinparliament.org)
Democratic Republic of Congo: The Church of England in Parliament (churchinparliament.org)
China: China – The Church of England in Parliament (churchinparliament.org)Most recently on 17th November the Bishop of St Albans led a debate in the House of Lords on allegations of human rights abuses in China.
Asked by: John Penrose (Conservative - Weston-super-Mare)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential merits of applying sanctions to those responsible for committing or allowing incidences of persecution and human rights abuses against Christians in Nigeria.
Answered by James Duddridge
In North East Nigeria, terrorist groups including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa have targeted both Christian and Muslim communities. Despite appalling attacks on Christians, the majority of those killed have been Muslim. Additionally, in many states across Nigeria incidents of intercommunal violence have affected Christian and Muslim communities. While religion is a factor in some incidents of intercommunal violence in Nigeria, the root causes are more complex and frequently relate to competition over resources and criminality.
We continue to call on the Nigerian Government to take urgent action to protect all communities affected by violence in Nigeria and carry out full investigations to bring perpetrators to justice.
On 6 July, the UK Government established the Global Human Rights sanctions regime by laying regulations in Parliament under the Sanctions and Anti-Money Laundering Act 2018. This sanctions regime gives the Government a powerful new tool to hold to account those involved in serious human rights violations or abuses, including those who target individuals on the grounds of their religion or belief. It is longstanding practice not to speculate on future sanctions designations as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations.
Asked by: John Penrose (Conservative - Weston-super-Mare)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what recent assessment he has made of the potential identities of the perpetrators of incidences of persecution and human rights abuses against Christians in Nigeria.
Answered by James Duddridge
In North East Nigeria, attacks by terrorist groups, including Boko Haram and Islamic State West Africa, have had devastating effects on communities of all faiths, including Christians. These groups seek to undermine the right to freedom of religion by attacking indiscriminately those who do not subscribe to their extremist views. I have made clear to Parliament that the UK Government condemns all attacks made by these groups.
In many states in Nigeria, incidents of intercommunal violence have occurred between communities of different faiths and ethnicities. Reprisal attacks by affected communities have also occurred. Religious identity is a factor in this, but the drivers of intercommunal conflict are complex and include competition over natural resources and criminality. We are working with the Nigerian Government to respond to the challenge of resource competition. We have provided technical support to the Nigerian Government for the development of the National Livestock Transformation Plan. The plan aims to promote cattle-rearing in one place, rather than the traditional nomadic practice, to limit competition over land and resources leading to violence.
It is vital that those responsible for attacks in Nigeria are held to account. We have made clear to the Nigerian authorities, at the highest levels, the importance of protecting civilians, including ethnic and religious minorities, and human rights for all.
Asked by: Lord Alton of Liverpool (Crossbench - Life peer)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they are making to the government of Pakistan to ensure that Pakistan’s quota system for jobs is not used to place workers from religious minorities in menial occupations.
Answered by Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon - Minister of State (Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office)
We remain deeply concerned at the treatment of minority communities, including religious minorities, in Pakistan. As the Minister for Asia and the Pacific, The Rt Hon Mark Field MP, made clear in Parliament on 25 Oct 2018, "It is a priority for this Government to defend and promote the rights of not only Christians but peoples of all faiths and none so that they can practise their faith or belief without fear or discrimination".
We regularly raise our concerns about discrimination against religious minorities with the Government of Pakistan at a senior level. I discussed the treatment of minority religious communities with Pakistan's Human Rights Minister, Dr Shireen Mazari, in September 2018.
The UK raised concerns about Freedom of Religion or Belief at Pakistan's UN Universal Periodic Review of human rights in November 2017. We urged Pakistan to strengthen the protection of minorities, including by establishing an independent National Commission for Minorities from all faith communities.
Asked by: Gregory Campbell (Democratic Unionist Party - East Londonderry)
Question to the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office:
To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, if he will make representations to the Nepalese Government on recent levels of persecution of Christians and moves to close Christian orphanages.
Answered by Mark Field
We raise the importance of ensuring freedom of religion or belief with the Nepali government on a regular basis. I raised these issues most recently with Nepali Ambassador on 9 October 2017 and when I wrote to Prime Minister Deuba on 2 November 2017. Our Embassy in Kathmandu monitors the human rights situation closely and has consistently encouraged the Government of Nepal and members of Nepal's parliament to ensure Nepal meets its international human rights obligations, including freedom of religion or belief, and we will continue to do so.
Asked by: Jim Shannon (Democratic Unionist Party - Strangford)
Question
To ask the Honourable Member for Meridan, representing the Church Commissioners, what steps the Church of England is taking to support Christians in the UK who face difficulties in following their faith in the (a) workplace and the (b) public forum.
Answered by Caroline Spelman
At its July 2012 session the General Synod of the Church of England passed the following motion:
“That this Synod express its conviction that it is the calling of Christians to order and govern our lives in accordance with the teaching of Holy Scripture, and to manifest our faith in public life as well as in private, giving expression to our beliefs in the written and spoken word, and in practical acts of service to the local community and to the nation.‟
Bishops of the Church of England frequently speak about the need to ensure freedom of expression for Christians and for those of other faiths and none in the public square. In their joint letter before the last General Election, the Archbishops of Canterbury and York wrote:
“Contemporary politics needs to re-evaluate the importance of religious belief. The assumptions of secularism are not a reliable guide to the way the world works, nor will they enable us to understand the place of faith in other people’s lives. Parishes and Chaplaincies of the Church of England serve people of all faiths and none. Their contribution and that of other denominations and faiths to the well-being of the nation is immense – schools, food banks, social support, childcare among many others – and is freely offered. But the role of faith in society is not just measured in terms of service delivery...The new Parliament, if it is to take religious freedom seriously, must treat as an essential task the improvement of religious literacy.”
The full text can be read here: https://churchinparliament.org/2017/05/09/general-election-2017-archbishops-issue-election-letter/