The Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has been accused of “an ongoing reluctance to fully acknowledge anti-Christian acts” following the passing of a resolution aimed at 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 dealt with by European institutions.
The resolution specifically notes what it describes as an increase in antisemitism and Islamophobia.
The ECLJ said, “This absence of explicit recognition [of anti-Christian prejudice] is consistent with the current mandate of the Special Representative of the Secretary General ‘on antisemitism, anti-Muslim hatred and all forms of religious intolerance,’ which does not explicitly mention Christians.”
According to the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC) there were over 2,200 anti-Christian incidents recorded in Europe in 2024. The incidents range from the banning or protests and the arrest of preachers up to the outright murder of clergy.
The ECLJ welcomed the resolution’s call for an improvement in the collection of data related to discrimination on grounds of religion, but said that Christians often under-report incidents, and the authorities themselves often only focus on 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 should 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 part 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 in this fight. That is why we want society to become aware of this crimes committed before our eyes every day against Christians and against the Christian identity of Europe.”
