A new report, launched in Parliament today, has been outlining concerns for persecuted Christians across the world. 'Persecuted and Forgotten', which has been produced over a two year period by the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, has been looking into the treatment of believers and found persecution is on the rise in two thirds of the countries where the situation for Christians is most severe. The main area of focus is the Middle East with the report suggesting the Church's survival in the region is now at stake. It says situations in places like Egypt and Syria have turned the 'Arab Spring' into the 'Christian Winter'. It's concerned the killings of believers and economic uncertainty is forcing many to leave the region. The report was launched at a parliamentary meeting which was chaired by former Archbishop of Canterbury Lord Rowan Williams. He was joined by the most senior Catholic leader in Syria - Melkite Patriarch Gregorios III. His country has seen widespread violence since the uprisings two years ago. As a result, Christians who had previously been free to practice their faith, have seen churches destroyed, bishops kidnapped and many believers killed for their faith.
Speaking before the event the church leader told Premier's Cindy Kent this sort of treatment is new to them:
The report also fears fundamentalist Islamist groups are targeting believers in the hope to eliminate the faith from the area. It claims this is the greatest threat to religious freedom across the world. It also warns that these groups operate much further afield than just the Middle East with believers across Africa in places like Nigeria and Mali particularly targeted. Dr John Newton from Aid to the Church in Need co-wrote the study.
He told Premier's Des Busteed on the News Hour the recent events in Pakistan highlight the problem.
Mervyn Thomas is the CEO of anti-persecution group Christian Solidarity Worldwide. He tells Premier's Marcus Jones something needs to be done.
Another concern raised is for believers in Communist countries such as North Korea, China and Vietnam. It says even where Christians are allowed to worship - the governments often assert their authority over the groups.