A louder voice, and not only from the EU

The global scenario is in turmoil: protests, clashes, assassination attempts, threats to peace, human rights and democracy can be observed in any corner of the planet. These are problems that have always been there on the International stage, but in this very moment they all seem to make a sad appointment. Our eyes fixate Egypt and Tunisia, but can we possibly forget about Iraq and Sudan, Latina America and the Middle East, Haiti and Albania, Ivory Coast and Sahel? Furthermore, we have to recognize that this escalation of violence affects in a special way the religious communities, and particularly the Christian communities. Bombs, assault and battery, forms of social discrimination, psychological or economic pressure offend our freedom to believe, to live and to express publicly our faith and works as a fruit of our living out the Gospel. In this situation – which any unbiased mind is able to acknowledge – the first announced and then unissued declaration of the 27 EU Foreign Ministers who met in Brussels on January 31 should be an opportunity for reflection. The meeting, in fact, in the framework of a very intense agenda, scheduled a debate on freedom of religion, but the text drafted by the EU High Representative for Foreign Policy, Catherine Ashton, did not satisfy the diplomatic leaders, as it included excessively generic references to the subject and avoided mentioning the violence which affected Christian communities in many parts of the world. The insistence of some governments on issuing a more courageous text, which should have included the condemnation of easily identifiable cases and provide for some political measures against those States violating such freedom, did not achieve the necessary unanimous consensus. Eventually, in the final message of the meeting, totalling 21 pages (the session of Foreign Affairs Ministers had to give the absolute priority to the Egyptian case) the subject has been explained away in only two lines: “The Council had an exchange of opinions on the topic of freedom of religion and belief, and decided to resume the issue on a successive date”. It was Ms. Ashton who personally prepared a detailed document “taking into account the situation of the individual communities which run the risk of becoming the target of violent acts and discrimination in many parts of the world”.Actually, we have to acknowledge that, in the past, and even recently, the EU institutions have raised their voice to denounce the violence against Christians in the world. This is true in the case of the EU Council, but also the European Parliament expressed itself several times: its last resolution dates back to its January plenary session. Even Ms. Ashton, going beyond her typical excessively reticent attitude, has disapproved the bloody outrages, including the act of terrorism in Alexandria of Egypt – and she could not have avoided doing so! The same degree of attention was shown by José Manuel Barroso, President of the EU Commission. Besides the EU, it is worth noting the vigorous declaration of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe at the end of January.But if fundamental human rights – in primis freedom of belief – are denied, any opportunity is to be taken to safeguard them. In order to do this, though, we need a non-improvised political and diplomatic action being able to convince of this need all the governments of the European Union; those governments, in fact – and not a generic and indistinct Europe – have materially shelved the declaration of January 31.And not easier than that will be the way toward standpoints which – beyond their empty wordiness and disconnected from inappropriate national political and electoral objectives – be able to foster a real and concrete protection of religious minorities in Europe and in the rest of the world. In those terms, the next document to be submitted for approval to the 27 EU Foreign Ministers should, first of all, trace a precise picture of the situation of violence and discrimination which is under way in the world. Second, it should provide for a very hard and unequivocal condemnation of those countries which do not protect their minority religious groups and freedom of worship (on the last two aspects the recent resolution of the European Parliament can play a guiding role). Finally, it ought to indicate some mandatory commitments on the political and diplomatic level. In order not to transform this document into wastepaper, in fact, it should bind the stipulation of commercial agreements, the appropriation of aids to cooperation, the signature of treaties and the launch of any kind of partnership to a full and definitive defence of human rights, including the unavoidable freedom of religion. For sure, this would imply an accurate revision of our foreign (and economic) policy not only in the EU as a whole, but in each of its member States. Governments, public opinion, businesses and citizens-consumers should also consistently be ready to pay the “necessary price” to guarantee and promote human rights and religious freedom globally.