Council of Europe criticised over inadequate response to anti-Christian incidents

The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has been accused of “an ongoing reluctance to totally acknowledge anti-Christian acts” following the passing of a resolution aimed toward ending religious discrimination and protecting religious freedom.

The European Centre for Law and Justice (ECLJ) said that the resolution merely reaffirmed key principles without addressing an imbalance in how anti-Christian incidents are handled by European institutions.

The resolution specifically notes what it describes as a rise in antisemitism and Islamophobia.

The ECLJ said, “This absence of explicit recognition [of anti-Christian prejudice] is consistent with the present mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary General ‘on antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred and all forms of spiritual intolerance,’ which doesn’t explicitly mention Christians.”

According to the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC) there have been over 2,200 anti-Christian incidents recorded in Europe in 2024. The incidents range from the banning or protests and the arrest of preachers as much as the outright murder of clergy.

The ECLJ welcomed the resolution’s call for an improvement in the gathering of information related to discrimination on grounds of faith, but said that Christians often under-report incidents, and the authorities themselves often only deal with acts with political motives. In addition, EU member states have a patchy record of passing data on to EU institutions.

Many of the recorded anti-Christian acts of recent years have been arson or vandalism at places of worship. The ECLJ said that the resolution must have gone further in protecting places of worship.

The ECLJ has submitted a petition, signed by over 9,600 people, to the president of the PACE demanding “a firm response to attacks and discrimination against Christians”.

A component of the petition states, “There are mechanisms to combat anti-Semitism and Islamophobia, but nothing concerning Christians. This is unacceptable.  

“Christians must defend themselves, their freedoms, and their heritage, and society must support them on this fight. That is why we wish society to turn out to be aware of this crimes committed before our eyes day by day against Christians and against the Christian identity of Europe.”