ROME, SEPT. 28, 2008 Many people still suffer religious persecution, according to the annual report from the U.S. Department of State. On Sept. 19 the “2008 Annual Report on International Religious Freedom,” was presented to the public by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
The report, which covers the 12-month period up to June 30, 2008, started by noting in its introduction that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For the United States it is also the 10th anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act, a bill that has brought with it greater attention to religious freedom from the U.S. government.
The report’s publication comes as the lack of religious freedom in some countries has received widespread attention. China is one country in the news and according to the Department of State the government's repression of religious freedom intensified in some regions, including in Tibetan areas and in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR).
The report also noted that unregistered Protestant religious groups in Beijing experienced intensified harassment from government authorities in the lead up to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
"Underground" Catholic clergy also faced repression, the report observed, in large part due to their avowed loyalty to the Vatican. As well, authorities in Shanghai implemented measures to prevent Catholic pilgrims from visiting the Marian Shrine of Sheshan during May.
The Catholic Patriotic Association reports that 5.3 million persons worship in its churches. But according to the report, it is estimated that there are an additional 12 million or more persons who worship in unregistered Catholic churches that do not affiliate with the government association.
Praying for the Pope
Although there continue to be conflicts between the Chinese government and the Vatican, particularly over the nomination of bishops, the report commented that the distinction between the Catholic Patriotic Association and the unregistered Catholic Church has become less clear over time. In some official Catholic churches, clerics led prayers for the Pope, and pictures of the Pope were displayed, the report noted.
Chinese authorities also restrict religion through restrictions on funding and clergy, the report explained. Even though the government has authorized funding to build new places of worship for registered venues, the number of temples, churches and mosques has not kept pace with growth in the number of worshippers.
In addition, in general there is a severe shortage of trained clergy for both registered and unregistered religious groups.
India is another country where religious persecution has been in the headlines in recent weeks and the Department of State’s report contains ample information on the situation.
Some Indian state governments enacted and amended "anti-conversion" laws. In addition, police and enforcement agencies often did not act swiftly to effectively counter communal attacks, including attacks against religious minorities.
Extremists
The report did affirm that the vast majority of persons from the religious groups in India live in peaceful coexistence. At the same time it acknowledged the existence of episodes of serious conflict.
While the law system generally provides remedy for violations of religious freedom, it was not enforced rigorously or effectively in many cases pertaining to religiously oriented violence, the report noted.
As a result, despite government efforts to foster communal harmony, some extremists continued to view ineffective investigation and prosecution of attacks on religious minorities, particularly at the state and local level, as a signal that they could commit such violence with impunity, the report commented.
Hindu extremists attacked Christian villagers and churches in the Kandhamal district over the last Christmas holidays. Approximately 100 churches and Christian institutions were damaged, 700 Christian homes were destroyed causing villagers to flee to nearby forests, and 22 Christian-owned businesses were affected.
The report also observed that according to some nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) communal violence against religious minorities is part of a larger Hindu nationalist agenda and corresponds with ongoing state electoral politics.
According to the 2001 government census, Hindus constitute 80.5% of the population, Muslims 13.4%, Christians 2.3%, Sikhs 1.8%, and others, including Buddhists, Jains, Parsis (Zoroastrians), Jews, and Baha'is, 1.1%.
The report commented that local authorities arrested numerous Christians under state-level "anti-conversion" laws for allegedly engaging in conversions by force, allurement or fraud
Hindu nationalist organizations frequently alleged that Christian missionaries lured low-caste Hindus with offers of free education and health care; they equated such actions with forced conversions.
Christians responded, according to the report, by saying that low-caste Hindus converted of their own free will and that efforts by Hindu groups to "reconvert" these new Christians to Hinduism were themselves accompanied by offers of remuneration, and thus fraudulent.
Some improvements
Vietnam is another country where recent press reports have highlighted problems with a lack of religious freedom. However, according to the report by the State Department, respect for religious freedom and practice continued to improve during the past year.
The Catholic Church, various Protestant congregations, and other smaller religious groups reported that their ability to gather and worship improved, according to the State Department. The Catholic Church also reported that the government approved the establishment of one additional Catholic seminary.
The report cited estimates suggesting that more than half of the population is at least nominally Buddhist. The Catholic Church accounts for 8%-10% of the population. There are an estimated 8 million Catholics in the country, according to the Department of State, although government statistics place the number at 5.9 million.
The Catholic Church operates 7 seminaries, with more than 1,000 students enrolled, as well as a new special training program for "older" students. The report commented, however, that local authorities must approve students for enrollment in a seminary, and again prior to their ordination as priests.
Moreover, the report added, the Church considers that the number of students being ordained remains insufficient to support the growing Catholic population and indicated it would like to open additional seminaries and enroll new students more frequently.
Restrictions remain
In past days numerous reports of conflicts between the Catholic Church and the Vietnamese government over properties confiscated by authorities prompted an intervention by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
A Sept. 24 press release said that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom “respectfully differs with the U.S. State Department’s decision to remove Vietnam from its list of ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ in 2006.”
“Vietnam continues to demonstrate a disturbing disregard for fundamental human rights, with police violence against protesters at peaceful vigils at properties formerly owned by the Catholic Church of Vietnam, the drawn-out imprisonment and house arrest of numerous religious freedom advocates,” the press release noted.
It went on to describe how peaceful vigils organized by Catholics to protest the confiscation of Church properties have resulted in the arrest of a number of protesters and even the use of physical force by police.
“The Commission calls for Vietnam to be re-designated as one of the world’s worst violators of religious freedom for its continuing systematic and egregious violations of religious freedom and other human rights,” the statement conclude.
As Cardinal Oswald Gracias of India just repeated this week, "Religious liberty is the first of liberties." These recent episodes of religious persecution provide a graphic reminder of the need to keep pressure on governments to guarantee the freedom of religion.
The report, which covers the 12-month period up to June 30, 2008, started by noting in its introduction that this year marks the 60th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. For the United States it is also the 10th anniversary of the International Religious Freedom Act, a bill that has brought with it greater attention to religious freedom from the U.S. government.
The report’s publication comes as the lack of religious freedom in some countries has received widespread attention. China is one country in the news and according to the Department of State the government's repression of religious freedom intensified in some regions, including in Tibetan areas and in the Xinjiang Uighur Autonomous Region (XUAR).
The report also noted that unregistered Protestant religious groups in Beijing experienced intensified harassment from government authorities in the lead up to the 2008 Summer Olympic Games.
"Underground" Catholic clergy also faced repression, the report observed, in large part due to their avowed loyalty to the Vatican. As well, authorities in Shanghai implemented measures to prevent Catholic pilgrims from visiting the Marian Shrine of Sheshan during May.
The Catholic Patriotic Association reports that 5.3 million persons worship in its churches. But according to the report, it is estimated that there are an additional 12 million or more persons who worship in unregistered Catholic churches that do not affiliate with the government association.
Praying for the Pope
Although there continue to be conflicts between the Chinese government and the Vatican, particularly over the nomination of bishops, the report commented that the distinction between the Catholic Patriotic Association and the unregistered Catholic Church has become less clear over time. In some official Catholic churches, clerics led prayers for the Pope, and pictures of the Pope were displayed, the report noted.
Chinese authorities also restrict religion through restrictions on funding and clergy, the report explained. Even though the government has authorized funding to build new places of worship for registered venues, the number of temples, churches and mosques has not kept pace with growth in the number of worshippers.
In addition, in general there is a severe shortage of trained clergy for both registered and unregistered religious groups.
India is another country where religious persecution has been in the headlines in recent weeks and the Department of State’s report contains ample information on the situation.
Some Indian state governments enacted and amended "anti-conversion" laws. In addition, police and enforcement agencies often did not act swiftly to effectively counter communal attacks, including attacks against religious minorities.
Extremists
The report did affirm that the vast majority of persons from the religious groups in India live in peaceful coexistence. At the same time it acknowledged the existence of episodes of serious conflict.
While the law system generally provides remedy for violations of religious freedom, it was not enforced rigorously or effectively in many cases pertaining to religiously oriented violence, the report noted.
As a result, despite government efforts to foster communal harmony, some extremists continued to view ineffective investigation and prosecution of attacks on religious minorities, particularly at the state and local level, as a signal that they could commit such violence with impunity, the report commented.
Hindu extremists attacked Christian villagers and churches in the Kandhamal district over the last Christmas holidays. Approximately 100 churches and Christian institutions were damaged, 700 Christian homes were destroyed causing villagers to flee to nearby forests, and 22 Christian-owned businesses were affected.
The report also observed that according to some nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) communal violence against religious minorities is part of a larger Hindu nationalist agenda and corresponds with ongoing state electoral politics.
According to the 2001 government census, Hindus constitute 80.5% of the population, Muslims 13.4%, Christians 2.3%, Sikhs 1.8%, and others, including Buddhists, Jains, Parsis (Zoroastrians), Jews, and Baha'is, 1.1%.
The report commented that local authorities arrested numerous Christians under state-level "anti-conversion" laws for allegedly engaging in conversions by force, allurement or fraud
Hindu nationalist organizations frequently alleged that Christian missionaries lured low-caste Hindus with offers of free education and health care; they equated such actions with forced conversions.
Christians responded, according to the report, by saying that low-caste Hindus converted of their own free will and that efforts by Hindu groups to "reconvert" these new Christians to Hinduism were themselves accompanied by offers of remuneration, and thus fraudulent.
Some improvements
Vietnam is another country where recent press reports have highlighted problems with a lack of religious freedom. However, according to the report by the State Department, respect for religious freedom and practice continued to improve during the past year.
The Catholic Church, various Protestant congregations, and other smaller religious groups reported that their ability to gather and worship improved, according to the State Department. The Catholic Church also reported that the government approved the establishment of one additional Catholic seminary.
The report cited estimates suggesting that more than half of the population is at least nominally Buddhist. The Catholic Church accounts for 8%-10% of the population. There are an estimated 8 million Catholics in the country, according to the Department of State, although government statistics place the number at 5.9 million.
The Catholic Church operates 7 seminaries, with more than 1,000 students enrolled, as well as a new special training program for "older" students. The report commented, however, that local authorities must approve students for enrollment in a seminary, and again prior to their ordination as priests.
Moreover, the report added, the Church considers that the number of students being ordained remains insufficient to support the growing Catholic population and indicated it would like to open additional seminaries and enroll new students more frequently.
Restrictions remain
In past days numerous reports of conflicts between the Catholic Church and the Vietnamese government over properties confiscated by authorities prompted an intervention by the United States Commission on International Religious Freedom.
A Sept. 24 press release said that the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom “respectfully differs with the U.S. State Department’s decision to remove Vietnam from its list of ‘Countries of Particular Concern’ in 2006.”
“Vietnam continues to demonstrate a disturbing disregard for fundamental human rights, with police violence against protesters at peaceful vigils at properties formerly owned by the Catholic Church of Vietnam, the drawn-out imprisonment and house arrest of numerous religious freedom advocates,” the press release noted.
It went on to describe how peaceful vigils organized by Catholics to protest the confiscation of Church properties have resulted in the arrest of a number of protesters and even the use of physical force by police.
“The Commission calls for Vietnam to be re-designated as one of the world’s worst violators of religious freedom for its continuing systematic and egregious violations of religious freedom and other human rights,” the statement conclude.
As Cardinal Oswald Gracias of India just repeated this week, "Religious liberty is the first of liberties." These recent episodes of religious persecution provide a graphic reminder of the need to keep pressure on governments to guarantee the freedom of religion.