VIENNA, Austria — Roman Catholic bishops from across Europe have set up an organization to defend the rights of Christians and monitor prejudice across the continent.
“Our first task will be to provide people around Europe with objective and reliable data about the anti-Christian discrimination which is taking place,” Thierry Bonaventura, media officer of the Council of Catholic Episcopates of Europe (CCEE), said.
Bonaventura was speaking after the formation of the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians, headed in Vienna by Bishop Andras Veres of Hungary and Austrian lay director Gudrun Kugler.
The decision to set up the body had been made in 2009 by the CCEE, which is based in Switzerland and includes bishops conferences from 33 countries and Monaco and Cyprus.
“The cases we highlight will involve Christians throughout Europe, so the scope of the organization will be ecumenical,” Bonaventura said.
“The cases of Christians who suffer some form of discrimination have seen a rapid increase in recent years in Europe.
Although this often happens in a hidden manner, the discrimination is all too real,” the statement added.
“The aim is to awaken public opinion to what is happening, so that such situations do not become habitual and run the risk of degenerating into real hatred.”
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