Archbishop blasts UN, member states of turning blind eye to Christian persecution

Christians are being violently persecuted across the globe while world governments and international bodies continue to ignore the crisis, said a top Vatican diplomat, Archbishop Paul Richard Gallagher, accusing the United Nations and its member states of failing to respond to what he described as the world’s most severe and widespread religious persecution.

Archbishop Gallagher, the Holy See’s secretary for relations with states, told the U.N. General Assembly last week that more than 360 million Christians live in places where they face high levels of discrimination and violence, according to Catholic News Agency.

He said the attacks have increased in recent years and include destruction of churches, imprisonment, forced displacement and killings.

“The data show that Christians are the most persecuted religious group worldwide,” Gallagher said. “Yet the international community seems to be turning a blind eye to their plight.” He also criticized the erosion of religious freedom more broadly, calling it one of the most urgent threats to peace.

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