ASTANA, Kazakhstan, (Zenit.org): The Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) focused on religious freedom and examined topics such as discrimination against Christians at its recent summit.
The summit included heads of government or representatives from 56 states.
The final declaration emphasised the dignity of each person and religious freedom at the heart of the solution to global security.
Vatican secretary of state Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone represented the Holy See at the summit, where he addressed the problem of intolerance and discrimination against Christians.
“It is well documented that Christians are the most discriminated and persecuted religious group,” he said.
“Over 200 million of them, belonging to different denominations, live in difficult conditions because of legal and cultural structures.” Representatives from NGOs also spoke about their concerns about religious freedom.
Jan Ledochowski, a delegate of the St John Community of the Sovereign Order of Malta in Vienna, Austria, addressed the anti-Christian bias, particularly in the media.
“It is the responsibility of the state and the media to create an environment where everybody can openly manifest (their) belief without fear of ridicule or discrimination,” the delegate said.
Álvaro Zulueta, representative of the Spanish organisation HazteOir.org, said: “Today, religious freedom is in danger in many countries.
“In some countries, believers risk their lives or their health. In other countries, they are subject to insults and mockery.
Barbara Vittucci, of the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe, said: “To be consistent with a commitment to freedom of expression, Christians must be free to speak and teach on the Christian understanding of the dignity and nature of (human beings), as well as matters of faith, ethics and morals.
“These freedoms are being obstructed by harassment and violence, and making it impossible to speak. Repression of freedom of expression also occurs on a political level by so-called hate speech legislation.”
Mario Bergner, of Redeemed Lives, warned that the “over-broad application of hate-speech laws have begun to curtail the fundamental freedoms of Christian clerics, academicians, therapists and university students to apply the morality of their faith to the subject of homosexuality”.
