Coptic Orthodox
Church UK
Media and
Communications Office
Coptic Orthodox
Church (Europe)
Media and Communications Office
U.S.
Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, listens to freedom of religion or belief
concerns at a meeting with faith leaders in Lambeth Palace
9 May
2019
On 8 May 2019, an unprecedented meeting with the U.S. Secretary of State, Mike Pompeo, hosted by The Most Revd Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury, and attended by the Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, the Prime Minister’s Special Envoy on Freedom of Religion or Belief, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, Ambassador Johnson, US Ambassador to the UK, and UK-based faith leaders, was held at Lambeth Palace. The aim of the meeting was to allow faith leaders to present religious freedom concerns affecting communities worldwide, along with suggestions as to how such challenges can be addressed.
This meeting was a precursor
to a ‘Ministerial to Advance Religious Freedom’ which will
be hosted by Secretary Pompeo in the United States in July of this
year.
The faith leaders
participating in the conversation at Lambeth Palace were: His
Eminence Archbishop Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of
London, His Grace Archbishop Kevin McDonald representing the
Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, Chief Rabbi
Ephraim Mirvis, 11th Chief Rabbi of the United Hebrew Congregations
of the Commonwealth, Imam Qari Asim, Chair of Mosques &
Imams National Advisory Board, and Yousif Al-Khoei of the Al-Khoei
Foundation.
The meeting came just days
after the interim report on the persecution of Christians worldwide,
commissioned by Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt, revealed that of
the faith communities persecuted in the world, 80% are Christian. This
also comes after attacks in recent weeks on praying communities in
Christchurch, Pittsburgh and Sri Lanka, among others, as well as
many other gross religious freedom violations leading to
tragedies worldwide, which often go unreported.
Speaking after the meeting,
Archbishop Angaelos said:
“This
was a welcome meeting because it brought together policy makers and
religious leaders to speak on a topic that affects all of our communities.
It is only with this holistic approach that we can hope to move forward and
truly address religious freedom violations, and promote the safeguarding of
every life which is sanctified by God.
We
must, as a global community, recognise that just as there are systematic
and targeted attacks on Jewish and Muslim communities, there is a similar
phenomenon of attacks on Christian communities worldwide.
Religious
and political leaders have a shared responsibility in promoting love, respect
and acceptance of all, and to stand against the rhetoric of hate and
division. The only way forward is for us as humanity to work
together, and consider an attack on any of us, as an attack on all of us.”
