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In the Spotlight
Videos on Religious Freedom
View videos on religious freedom from Archbishop William Lori and Bishop Ricardo Ramirez along with addresses given at the 2012 June General Assembly of Bishops by Archbishop Lori, John H. Garvey, Esq., Dr.Thomas F. Farr and the Most Reverend Shlemon Warduni.
Notable Quotes
"We need to render unto Caesar those things that bear his
image. But we need to render ourselves unto God -- generously, zealously,
holding nothing back. To the extent we let God transform us into his own image,
we will – by the example of our lives – fulfill our duty as citizens of the
United States, but much more importantly, as disciples of Jesus Christ."
International Religious Freedom
In many countries, Christians are deprived of fundamental rights…; in other countries they endure violent attacks against their churches and their homes. At times they are forced to leave the countries they have helped to build because of persistent tensions and policies which frequently relegate them to being second-class spectators of national life. --Pope Benedict XVI, Address to the Diplomatic Corps, January 9, 2012
Background:
In Nigeria, a Christmas day attack by Islamist insurgents on a Christian church killed 37 and wounded 57 people. In Egypt, extremists burned houses and shops in one Coptic Christian village in January and broke into another church with the intent to convert it into a mosque and Muslim hospital. In Iraq, Christians continue to be targeted as different factions vie for power in a country struggling with escalating violence after the withdrawal of U.S. forces. Early this year in Pakistan, local officials demolished a Catholic center that had housed a convent, girl’s school, home for the elderly and a chapel for over 100 years. In China, three bishops and six priests are among many, including Tibetans, who have been apprehended and held in undisclosed locations by security police.
All these attacks are horrible examples of the ongoing and escalating
attacks against Christians around the world and an increase in
religiously-motivated conflicts and violence aimed at vulnerable minority
communities.
In addition to Christians, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and
other religious groups can find themselves discriminated against or attacked in
various countries, especially where they are a minority. Small incidents can
spark large reactions and violent outbursts. Pope Benedict declared, “Religion
cannot be employed as a pretext for setting aside the rules of justice and of
law for the sake of the intended ‘good.’”
Read More on the Background of Religious Freedom.
Resources on international religious Freedom
Letter to Senators Blunt and Levin on S. 653
Bishop Richard E.. Pates, May 20, 2013
Bishop Richard E. Pates, February 15, 2013
Background on International Religious Freedom
February 2013
Letter to Secretary of State Clinton on Nigeria
Bishop Richard E. Pates, October 1, 2012
"International Religious Freedom: An Imperative for Peace and the Common Good"
Timothy Cardinal Dolan, September 12, 2012
Speech by Archbishop John Onaiyekan on International Religious Freedom in Nigeria
September 12, 2012
Speech by Archbishop Silvano Tomasi on International Religious Freedom
September 12, 2012
Letter to Assistant Secretary Blake on Rimsha Masih
Bishop Richard E. Pates, September 7, 2012
Letter to House Foreign Affairs Committee on Protecting
Religious Minorities in the Arab World
Bishop Richard E. Pates, September 4, 2012
Letter to Patriarch Twal on Anti-Christian Incident at Monastery
Timothy Cardinal Dolan and Bishop Richard Pates, September 7, 2012
Statement on Anti-Christian Incident at Monastery
Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land
September 4, 2012
Background on Religious Freedom
September 2012
Letter to Secretary of State Clinton on Israeli-Palestinian
Peace
Bishop Richard E. Pates, July 13, 2012
The Church and the Global Crisis of Religious Liberty
Thomas F. Farr, June 13, 2012
An Example from a Local, Suffering Church — Reflection from Iraqi Bishop Shlemon Warduni
June 13, 2012
Background on Religious Freedom
February 2012
Congressional Testimony on International Religious Freedom
Bishop Ricardo Ramirez, CSB, November 17, 2011
Letter to the U.S. Senate on the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF)
Bishop Howard J. Hubbard, October 27, 2011
Egypt: Christians in Egypt Suffer en Español
Indonesia: The Plight of Religious Minorities, Struggling to Survive in Indonesia en Español
Iraq: Christians Struggle to Survive in Iraq en Español
Nigeria: Boko Haram Runs Rampant English en Español
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