“This is the latest in an endless series of hate-driven attacks against Christians at worship. Condemnation could not be firmer, as these horrible acts weigh on the conscience of everyone who fights against violence and on behalf of respect for religious freedom”. With these words Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs Giulio Terzi responded to the news of the attack against the Catholic Church of St. Rita this morning in the city of Kaduna in Nigeria, north of the capital Abuja, which left in numerous dead and wounded.
Terzi launched an appeal during the UN General Assembly for an intensification of efforts to avoid such terrorist acts. “The international community is called upon to do more to protect all religious minorities around the world” and to promote “a culture of tolerance, conscience and co-existence among faiths and cultures, not least through education”.
In September Minister Terzi called for the organisation of a religious freedom event in New York in which 15 foreign ministers and high level delegates participated, including the High Commissioner for Human rights Pillay, along with 39 civil society delegations. What emerged was a commitment to the goal of “stopping the violence everywhere”, relying also on the active involvement of the civil society.
