Coptic
Orthodox Church UK
Media and Communications Office
Coptic
Orthodox Church (Europe)
Media and Communications Office
‘Working together for those alone’
Contemporary
Martyrs' Day 2023 marked with a special contribution from
The Lord Lieutenant of Hertfordshire on behalf of
His Majesty King Charles III
16 February 2023
On 15 February, the
anniversary of the martyrdom of the 21 executed by ISIS in Libya in 2015, the
Coptic Orthodox Church worldwide commemorates the lives of its contemporary
martyrs. ‘The 21’ as they have now been recognised, were 20 Coptic Orthodox
Christians from Upper Egypt, with the 21st being their Ghanaian
friend, Matthew. Contemporary Martyrs’ Day presents an opportunity to celebrate
the lives of these and others who faithfully lived their Christian Faith until
their last breath, while also providing a platform to raise awareness and
advocate for all those who are persecuted solely for their faith or belief.
This year’s online event on 15
February 2023 saw contributions from His Majesty’s
Lord-Lieutenant of Hertfordshire, Mr Robert Voss CBE CStJ, His Eminence
Archbishop Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London, Papal Legate to the
United Kingdom and Founder and Director of Refcemi, The Rt Revd Philip
Mounstephen, Bishop of Truro, Fiona Bruce MP, Prime Minister’s Special Envoy
for Freedom of Religion or Belief, Mervyn Thomas CMG, founder of CSW and Chair
of the UK FoRB Forum, Gareth Russell, Founder and Director of Jersey Road PR, His Grace Bishop Hovakim, Primate of the Armenian Orthodox
Church in the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Nadine Maenza, President of the International Religious
Freedom Secretariat and The Rt Revd Christopher
Chessun, Bishop of Southwark. The event was moderated by Dr Ewelina Ochab,
Deputy Director of Refcemi.
His Majesty’s Lord-Lieutenant
of Hertfordshire, Mr Robert Voss CBE CStJ, said the following in his
contribution:
“It is
an absolute honour for me to be here this evening to join you for Contemporary
Martyrs’ Day, a very important day in many calendars, and particularly with the
theme of this year being ‘Working together for those alone’. On behalf of His
Majesty, may I say thank you for this discussion and for inviting me. This is
very much in line with the themes that His Majesty has identified for this, his
Coronation Year; four themes, two of which are community and diversity. Of
course, he and the rest of the Royal Family share a deep concern for those who
suffer, and those who suffer alone.”
Going on to speak about his
family’s history of facing religious persecution, and losing many Jewish
relatives during the Nazi reign in Germany, The Lord-Lieutenant went on to say
in closing remarks:
“They
suffered for exactly what you have been talking about, purely for their belief,
for the fact that they were Jewish, so I very much empathise with what has been
said tonight. I think we as a people have a responsibility to stand together,
to commit ourselves to tolerance and respect so that the seeds of hatred cannot
find root throughout the world. Sadly, as we have heard, that is not the case
at the moment, but I hope and pray that one day those seeds will not germinate,
and we will not have to sit here and talk about such genocides.”
His Eminence Archbishop
Angaelos, Coptic Orthodox Archbishop of London, Founder and Director of
Refcemi, said in his remarks:
“Today
is incredibly important for us because it is the commemoration of the martyrdom
of ‘The 21’, 20 of them Coptic Orthodox, and their Ghanian friend, Matthew.
Although that horrific event was one of great pain, it has provided us with a
focus, not to foster anger or a need for retaliation or vengeance, but to use
that pain as a source of strength, and to speak for others.
Whether
we are speaking about the Bahai’s in Iran, the Rohingya in Myanmar, the Yazidis
in Iraq, the Uyghurs in China, the Shabak in Afghanistan, the Armenians in
Nagorno-Karabakh, the plight of our Jewish sisters and brothers in the
Holocaust and even until today, or Christians in Pakistan, Nigeria, China and
around the world; there is still much pain and much suffering, and much for us
still to do.”
The Rt
Revd Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Truro, who authored
‘The Independent Review of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office Response to
Christian Persecution’, said:
“It is
quite right that this event, Contemporary Martyrs’ Day, should become a fixture
in our calendar, not as something we give the nod to annually, but to remind us
daily of the urgency of addressing this issue.”
The Bishop of Truro spoke of
Freedom of Religion or Belief violations worsening around the world since the
Review, and commented on ways that His Majesty’s Government is still working on
implementing recommendations from the Review.
He gave particular thanks to
Fiona Bruce MP, Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of
Religion or Belief, for her determination to see that the recommendations from
his Review are implemented, and went on to say:
“A
commitment to Freedom of Religion or Belief is not a ‘nice to have’ in today’s world.
It is not some kind of fluffy extra additional to the hard world of realpolitik,
not at all. It touches upon and highlights some key issues in today’s world,
such as the rise of fundamentalist, nationalistic and authoritarian regimes of
all kinds the world over. Regimes whose treatment of vulnerable minorities is
often nothing short of appalling and whose actions threaten not only the lives
and livelihoods of those minorities but also to threaten to destabilise
international order, increase insecurity, including food insecurity as we’ve
seen in this last year, and make it all the harder to address big ticket global
items such as climate change.
Indeed
I believe that the wholesale denial of Freedom of Religion or Belief is just
such a ‘big ticket item’ and I hope and pray that this event will sensitise us
once again to the vital importance of all of us; governments, Churches, other
faith groups, civil society, and individuals, addressing it with the
seriousness and the urgency which it undoubtedly requires.”
Fiona
Bruce MP, Prime Minister’s Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief
(FoRB), who is Chair of the International Alliance of 42 countries committed to
promoting and protecting FoRB and championing it across the world, said the
following in her address:
“For
many of us who have lived our lives here in the United Kingdom, we consider
that the principle of opposing persecution is one that is worth fighting for,
even though it may not be something that we have personally ever experienced.
I
have the privilege of working with colleagues from many countries in Central
Europe, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland, Slovenia, Romania, Hungary, and
others. For my colleagues from countries such as the ones I have mentioned, it
is much more than a principle. Persecution for them has been a lived reality.
Concerns about it becoming so once more are very, very real.
She
went on to say:
“Of
course one of the freedoms for which we fight is Freedom of Religion or Belief;
a freedom that the people of Ukraine feel particularly acutely about, having
historically endured so much repression under communist rule, and that is the
same for my colleagues from several of the countries I have referred to.
Persecution
and discrimination are realities for many people I work with: for them, their
families and their friends who have known and lived it. It is a particularly
acute concern now as we see what is happening in Ukraine today.
That
is why I am so delighted to be able to tell you today that the next Ministerial
on Freedom of Religion or Belief will be held in the Czech Republic. That will
provide an opportunity for us to remember how real it is when a regime seeks to
dehumanise its people as the communists did, and we must ensure never happens
again in our lifetimes.”
Mervyn Thomas CMG, Chair of
the UK FoRB Forum, and Founder President of CSW, said:
“I
would like to say on behalf of everybody, particularly at Christian Solidarity
Worldwide, how important it is that we continue to mark this day every year.
In our
work for upholding the fundamental right to freedom of religion or belief
around the world, we come across many individuals and communities who face a
litany of egregious violations, ranging from threats and harassment to physical
violence and imprisonment; then there are those who pay the ultimate price for
their faith, too many to name, and every case heart-breaking for their families
and loved ones.”
He went on to speak about
harrowing religious persecution endured by people in Nigeria and India, and concluding
by saying:
“CSW
will continue to challenge governments that fail to uphold the right to freedom
of religion or belief and intersecting rights for their citizens at every
opportunity. At the UN and other international fora, wherever we can raise our
voices on behalf of martyrs everywhere, we promise that we will.”
Gareth Russell, Founder and
Director, Jersey Road PR said:
“The
story of the 21 has now reached a global audience but there are many similar
stories that remain untold or under-told. For a while we heard the stories of those
suffering for their faith in Afghanistan, Syria and Iraq, but as is the nature
of the news cycle, those stories dominate for a time, but are quickly forgotten
when demoted by the latest domestic political scandal or natural disaster.”
Speaking of the importance of
fostering a collaborative approach when religious groups and NGOs seek to
engage the media, he went on to say:
“So
long as charities advocating for FoRB choose a territorial approach, the
potential for media breakthrough will always be limited. But in laying down
brand equity, fostering meaningful partnerships and sharing media relationships
and opportunities, those NGOs will build an ecosystem of stories that, over
time, will educate and inform those currently unaware of the atrocities being
carried out on those who stand up for their own beliefs around the world.
By
harnessing the power of the social ecosystem and by unifying around the same
causes, profiling a consistent narrative, and doing so over a sustained period,
the core message of FoRB and the stories of those who are showing immense
heroism in the face of intense persecution can be told.”
His Grace Bishop Hovakim,
Primate of the Armenian Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom and Republic of
Ireland, spoke about historical religious persecution faced by his community under
communism, and drew a link to modern day freedom of religion or belief
violations, saying:
“It is
very troubling when we witness the same things happening now in other regions,
globally in the world, but also with my people in Nagorno Karabakh. You may
hear about it in the media every now and then, but history is repeating itself.
Armenian monuments are being destroyed, and 120,000 Armenians are now under
siege. Southern Armenia is constantly under threat.
The
challenge for us all in the FoRB community is to take action and address these
issues. Where there is injustice against anyone, it has to be considered an
injustice against all, and we do not have to differentiate between people.
Nothing
seems to be changing, it feels as if the world is silent and there is a lot of
discrimination, but not enough focus on the needs of some who are persecuted
versus others. This is our reality, but I pray and hope that through this kind
of meeting and forum that we can increase awareness and help people.”
Nadine Maenza, President,
International Religious Freedom (IRF) Secretariat, and former Chair of USCIRF, said:
“There
is so much division in the world today, but the right to Freedom of Religion or
Belief is one of those issues that crosses religious and partisan lines. It
really is one of those issues for which we can come and work on together. I
really do believe that working together is that key to how we are going to
change the trajectory of religious freedom conditions, so I appreciate this
meeting; this opportunity to bring us all together now.”
She went on to speak about her
work in IRF:
“Our
focus is on building infrastructure to support and serve the religious freedom
movement, so we are setting up regional secretariats to help run roundtables.
The roundtables that really work are run by people in the country, they are
very much grassroots driven, so it is about how we support them. They need to
bring civil society together with religious communities and government in a way
that is sustainable and helps serve the movement in their countries.”
The Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, Bishop of
Southwark, spoke about the importance of collaboration for minorities who are persecuted,
and said:
“Minorities
under pressure become small minorities and small minorities can do little to
protect themselves so our response has to be one of solidarity, that one of
looking unflinchingly at the suffering of our sisters and brothers.
That
is why joining in prayer and finding fellowship with those who find themselves
on the receiving end of hate, and our martyrs who have gone before us and have
shed their blood for us, is so important. It is a privilege to be with you here
today.”
Dr Ewelina Ochab, Deputy
Director of Refcemi, who recently returned from a fact-finding trip in
Iraq (with IBAHRI and City Law School), reminded all that stories no longer in
our news feeds must not be forgotten by those advocating, saying:
“We
have almost forgotten about the atrocities carried out by Daesh, because other
stories have taken the space, and so we must continue advocating on behalf of
those persecuted, whether it happened yesterday, the day before, five or ten
years ago. We must continue to advocate on behalf of all those who suffer persecution
for their religion or belief.”
His Eminence Archbishop
Angaelos, concluded the event by saying:
“Thank
you all. This has been such a rich evening of fellowship. I am so thankful for
your presence here and for your partnership and your fellowship. Today is
indicative of what Refcemi does, it provides a platform, a means of
collaboration, and a space for us to stand and speak together. We must continue
to work together for those who are alone.”
Video footage from the event
will be made available online via www.Youtube.com/Refcemi
*Ends*
More Information:
‘Refcemi’ The Coptic Orthodox Office for Advocacy and
Public Policy: www.Refcemi.org
The Bishop of Truro’s Independent Review for the Foreign
Secretary of FCO Support for Persecuted Christians: https://christianpersecutionreview.org.uk/report/
15 February 2015: Statement following the brutal
murder of Coptic Christians in Libya https://copticcentre.blogspot.com/2015/02/statement-by-hg-bishop-angaelos.html
6 March 2015: HRH The Prince of Wales and The Archbishop of
Canterbury support appeal for families of those brutally murdered in
Libya https://copticcentre.blogspot.com/2015/03/hrh-prince-of-wales-and-archbishop-of.html