Aid to the Church in Need: "Persecuted and Forgotten?" - ACN Report on Christians oppressed for their faith 2007/2008

"Persecuted and Forgotten?" - ACN Report on Christians oppressed for their faith 2007/2008

Posted by ACN News on 22/10/2008, 2:20 pm
Message modified by board administrator 24/10/2008, 8:37 am

ACN News: Wednesday, 22nd October 2008

"Persecuted and Forgotten?" - ACN Report on Christians oppressed for their faith 2007/2008

• Christians are the most persecuted group in the world today
• Oppression of Christians worsens in 17 out of 30 countries investigated

The grainy image pictured on the cover of the latest report from the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need is a still taken from footage filmed in secret in 2005 of Chinese ‘Underground’ Bishop John Han Dingxian of Yongian (Hebei province) in police custody. Bishop Han died in September 2007 after two years in isolation and a total of 35 years in prison.

Largely unknown to the outside world, Christians today suffer physical and verbal abuse, imprisonment and even murder. In more than half the countries where Christians suffer the most, oppression of Christians is now worse than in 2006. More Christians are persecuted than any other religious group.

Based on first-hand reports and interviews with leading clergy, Persecuted and Forgotten? highlights that the rise of religious extremism, twinned with nationalism, have marginalised Christians who are often labelled as agents of Western interference.

Covering hot-spots such as China, India, Israel/Palestine and Pakistan, Persecuted and Forgotten? gives an overview of the situation for Christians in each country before itemising significant incidents of violence and intimidation as well as key pronouncements by political and religious leaders.

Religious liberty as a fundamental human right is being neglected by world public opinion, above all by politicians and the secular media. And yet religious liberty is one of the most vital preconditions for democracy. Drawing on the very latest research and first-hand accounts, the book bears testimony to the heroic struggle of so many people determined to remain true to their Christian faith.

The Report can be viewed on line or downloaded from the Home page of the ACN website at www.aidtochurch.org

To obtain a hard copy of the report please write to the Australian office of Aid to the Church in Need at PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148 Ph/Fax: (02) 9679-1929 OR order your copy On-Line under the Other Books and Items category on the ACN website . The Report is available for a donation of $4.00

Editor’s Notes:

Directly under the Holy See, Aid to the Church in Need supports the faithful wherever they are persecuted, oppressed or in pastoral need. ACN is a Catholic charity – helping to bring Christ to the world through prayer, information and action.

Founded in 1947 by Fr Werenfried van Straaten, whom Pope John Paul II named “An Outstanding Apostle of Charity”, the organisation is now at work in about 145 countries throughout the world.

The charity undertakes thousands of projects every year including providing transport for clergy and lay Church workers, construction of church buildings, funding for priests and nuns and help to train seminarians. Since the initiative’s launch in 1979, 45 million Aid to the Church in Need Child’s Bibles have been distributed worldwide.

For more information, please contact the Australian office of ACN on (02) 9679-1929. e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org or write to Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148. Web: www.aidtochurch.org

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Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148 ABN: 62 418 911 594
Ph/Fax (02) 9679-1929 e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org web: www.aidtochurch.org