We value life because we see it as God-given; we love our neighbour and defend her/his freedom of expression (even if we might disagree) because we believe we are created by God, in His likeness. We believe in debating ideas and respecting our political opponents. Our Christian faith informs our views, our decisions and political direction; and we believe it inspired the founding fathers of the European project as well. It is something the EU should recognize and be proud of. There is a plurality of faiths and beliefs in Europe now and for it to remain a rich and peaceful place, everyone needs to respect the other’s faith and point of view. We are weary of secular anti-religious ideologies which want to erase the legacy of Christian thinking and play down its relevance.

Freedom of Religion or Belief

Freedom of thought, conscience and religion is the right to hold religious beliefs, to change them or abandon them freely, to promote and express them openly, and to expect the state to protect individuals as they exercise their rights. Freedom of religion also includes the liberty to manifest one’s religion or belief in teaching, worship, and observance. It includes parents’ rights to pass their religious or moral education to their children and also the right to establish and maintain institutions that operate on a distinct ethos. Freedom of religion or belief is enshrined not only in Article 9 of the European Convention on Human Rights and Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, but also in many national, international, and European instruments.(37)

Freedom of religion around the world

There are worrying trends and many threats to freedom of religion or belief around the world. Today, more than 360 million Christians suffer high levels of persecution and discrimination for their faith. The latest report by Open Doors International shows that globally 1 in 7 Christians experiences high levels of persecution or discrimination. In Africa, this figure is 1 in 5, in Asia it is 2 in 5, and in Latin America 1 in 15.(38) Various resolutions and reports in the European Parliament and the PACE condemned the persecution and killing of Christians by terrorist groups such as ISIS. (39)

In addition to Christians, members of all major world religions face discrimination and persecution.(40) ECPM believes that we should promote Freedom of Religion or Belief as a right for everyone regardless of their religious beliefs. This applies to believers of all religions provided that they also in turn respect religious plurality and the right of all individuals to choose a religious belief, but also no religion at all.

Following pressure from the European Parliament and civil society, the Council of the EU adopted in 2013 several guidelines(41) on the promotion and protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief. In these guidelines, the Council of the EU recognized that protection of FoRB contributes to “democracy, rule of law, development, peace and stability”. It also indicated that religious violence or obstacles to freedom of religion were often an early indicator of potential conflict. Although these guidelines were a positive step, their implementation and evaluation are missing, as emphasized by the European Parliament Intergroup on Freedom of Religion or Belief and Religious Tolerance in their latest report.(42) ECPM supports the guidelines and insists on their proper implementation and evaluation.

Another step the EU institutions took was to create the post of Special Envoy for the promotion and protection of freedom of religion or belief outside the European Union. When empowered and properly funded, we believe this role can be used to yield tangible results (e.g.: positive influence in the case of Asia Bibi) and to show EU’s commitment to peaceful coexistence and religious pluralism. We ask that the European Commission strengthen the mandate of the Special Envoy, as it was stressed by a European Parliament resolution adopted in January 2019.(43)

Freedom of religion in Europe

At the same time, there are many challenges to Freedom of Religion or Belief as well as Freedom of Conscience within Europe. In the past few years, the EU attempted to widen the scope of the anti-discrimination legislation outside the labour market in a proposal for a Council Directive on “implementing the principle of equal treatment between persons irrespective of religion or belief, disability, age or sexual orientation”(44) that is currently blocked in the Council. The draft Directive uses vague terms open to interpretation, widens the scope of application, and reverses the burden of proof from accuser to accused. The Directive would also have implications on freedom of conscience, since it would prohibit business owners to refuse providing goods and services to people when that violates their beliefs.

The PACE resolution on “Tackling Intolerance and Discrimination in Europe with a special focus on Christians”(45) noted that intolerance and discrimination on grounds of religion or belief affect minority religious groups in Europe, but also people belonging to majority religious groups. Christians in Europe are sometimes harassed, intimidated or fired for publicly expressing their faith and religious values.(46) The resolution calls for European states to “promote reasonable accommodation so as to enable Christians to fully participate in public life”.

In other instances, the right of parents to opt their child out of individual classes or an entire course which the parents deem contrary to their religious beliefs was limited, despite it being enshrined in Article 18 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, as well as in Article 8 of the European Convention on Human Rights. An older PACE resolution(47) mentioned the cases where children belonging to religious minorities have been taken away by child protection agencies.

ECPM also stands with doctors who refuse to perform abortions and affirms their right to conscientious objection and reasonable accommodation. The state has an obligation to respect the freedom of conscience as it is a right enshrined in international and European Human Rights law. The conscientious objection of medical staff was also reiterated in the PACE report on “The right to conscientious objection in lawful medical care”.(48)