European bishops call for protection of religious minorities

24 Oct. 2013: Europe's Catholic bishops and a New York-based interreligious foundation called on the United Nations to adopt a resolution for the protection of religious minorities.
"We condemn all acts or threats of violence, destruction, damage or endangerment directed against religious minorities, including the destruction of places of worship and sacred religious texts of any kind," said a common declaration by the Council of European Bishops' Conferences and the Appeal of Conscience Foundation. The groups said the declaration, released on Wednesday (Oct. 23), was a response to persistent violence, persecutions of Christian minorities and other religious groups.
The declaration called upon all states to prevent acts or threats of violence, and
invited relevant intergovernmental and nongovernmental organizations to contribute to those efforts by developing appropriate initiatives to advance mutual respect and recognition of religious minorities. Hungarian Cardinal Peter Erdo of Esztergom-Budapest, president of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences, said in a statement that the declaration was necessary because the number of people who are suffering because of their faith is a scandal in our modern world.
Source: Cns