The Bishop of Clifton has called on Catholics to stand up for persecuted atheists around the world.
In an article for The Universe, Bishop Declan Lang, chairman of the bishops’ conference department for international affairs, wrote: “The Catholic community in England and Wales has a role to play in ensuring that the government … continues to speak out when people are imprisoned, tortured or killed on account of their atheism.
“Doing so will not only be a practical expression of solidarity with those suffering the most appalling persecution, but will also promote freedom of religion or belief as a universal right to the benefit of all.”
Bishop Declan Lang based his article on the case of the atheist blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider, who was murdered by a mob in Bangladesh two years ago for stating his beliefs.
Bishop Lang wrote: “Since then Bangladesh’s atheists have lived and died in fear. During 2015 at least five more were murdered. Avijit Roy, an author who wrote extensively on atheism and science, was hacked to death as he left a book fair with his wife.
“Weeks later Washiqur Rahman, an IT manager who blogged in his spare time, was stabbed in broad daylight. In the northern city of Sylhet, Ananta Bijoy Das was killed on his way to work, shortly after being invited to address a high-profile press freedom event in Europe. As demands grew for the Bangladeshi government to act, gangs burst into the home of blogger Niloy Chakrabarti and the office of publisher Faisal Abedin Deepan, killing them both in the same horrific manner.
All of these men, Bishop Lang noted, “had been named on lists of prominent atheists circulated by extremist groups and most had already received death threats. Several other high-profile atheists narrowly escaped attacks and dozens fled the country.”
The bishop went on to stress that our compassion “must not be limited to people of faith”. He wrote: “Across the world Christians can be found playing a central role in defence of other faith communities, from the Yazidis in northern Iraq who face unspeakable atrocities at the hands of Daesh [ISIS], to Muslim minorities in parts of South East Asia who suffer discrimination and hostility from Buddhist fundamentalists. However, our compassion must never be limited only to people of faith.
“The persecution of atheists is a grave violation of human dignity throughout the world,” the bishop added. “In Saudi Arabia, where ‘calling for atheist thought in any form’ is defined as an act of terrorism, writers have been flogged after publicly promoting humanist or secularist ideas.
“Most recently the Palestinian poet Ashraf Fayadh was sentenced to eight years in prison and 800 lashes for publishing work considered to be atheistic.”
Bishop Lang said that when confronted with these injustices Catholics cannot simply “stand by”, pointing out that “history has shown time and time again that when one minority group is oppressed with impunity, others soon face the same fate.”
Hold on to hope and learn English, bishop tells refugees
The Bishop of Salford has urged refugees and asylum seekers to learn English in order to counter hostility.
During a visit to the charity Revive, Bishop John Arnold said: “Always hold on to hope. Life has been difficult and you’re looking for a better life with us. I wish my country was a little bit more welcoming, but I say you are welcome here.
“I want you to be easily accepted and to find work, so I would encourage you to learn English. Here we are terrible with languages, so to learn our language will really help you.”
The purpose of Bishop Arnold’s visit was to see first hand what the charity was doing for asylum seekers in Manchester and Salford and to meet asylum seekers and refugees.
Following the visit, Bishop Arnold said: “This is a truly cosmopolitan response to a cosmopolitan problem – this is what’s so great about Manchester. What you’re doing here is so important for the integration and empowerment of refugees.
“This is how I see the Church being missionary – it’s very impressive,” the bishop said.
Revive is a member of the Caritas Diocese of Salford network of charities.
Lord Sacks wins £1m prize
Former British chief rabbi Jonathan Sacks has been awarded the 2016 Templeton Prize.
The £1.1 million prize is awarded each year to a “living person who has made an exceptional contribution to affirming life’s spiritual dimension”. Previous winners include Jean Vanier, Mother Teresa and Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn.
A prolific writer, Lord Sacks’s most recent book is Not in God’s Name: Confronting Religious Violence.
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