Christians are the most persecuted religious group in the world, yet the European Union seems not to notice this very serious problem. It has, however, appointed coordinators to combat antisemitism and Islamophobia: a clear disparity in treatment among religious communities. To remedy this discrimination, a group of Members of the European Parliament—Laurance Trochu (France), Paolo Inselvini (Italy), Jadwiga Wisniewska (Poland), Stephen Nikola Bartulica (Croatia), and Bert-Jan Ruissen (Netherlands)—have launched a petition calling for the appointment of an EU Coordinator to combat Christianophobia. I spoke about this with MEP Wisniewska.

Why is it so important that the EU have a coordinator to combat Christianophobia?

Because the European Union has already appointed coordinators to combat antisemitism and Islamophobia, but there is no analogous mechanism to protect Christians, which represents a clear case of unequal treatment among religious communities. It is incomprehensible that Christians are not guaranteed the same protection, despite being the largest religious community in Europe and increasingly becoming targets of acts of aggression. Therefore, appointing a Coordinator to combat hatred against Christians would be an important step toward effectively monitoring the scale of the phenomenon, supporting victims, and concretely safeguarding religious freedom in the EU.

It seems that the phenomenon of Christian persecution is deliberately downplayed, even though its scale is enormous…

That is true. Mainstream media remain silent about the fact that Christians are the most persecuted religious community in the world. More than 380 million people suffer repression solely because of their faith. One in seven Christians lives in a country where persecution is a harsh daily reality.

Christians are persecuted mainly in Muslim countries. But they are increasingly victims of various forms of persecution and discrimination even in “democratic” countries. Aren’t we perhaps minimizing this problem in Europe?

Exactly. Contrary to what many believe, this problem is not limited to remote regions of the world. Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly visible in Europe as well, where Christianity is facing a growing wave of hostility, marginalization, and weakening. And this is happening right here in Europe, which has Christian roots.

What are the statistics on the persecution of Christians on our continent?

Data from recent years are alarming. Thousands of acts of hatred against Christians have been reported in European countries: every year, hundreds of cases of violence, vandalism, desecration of places of worship, and faith-based discrimination are recorded. According to official data, 2,444 such incidents were documented in 2023. Yet despite these figures, European institutions remain silent. Moreover, experts emphasize that the vast majority of these crimes are never reported, which means the real scale of the phenomenon is far greater than official statistics indicate. This is not only about numbers. It concerns individuals, communities, and specific places that have become targets of aggression.

What would be the role of the coordinator?

The European Coordinator would be the official representative of the European Union responsible for monitoring, analyzing, and countering acts of hostility toward Christians across all Member States. The role would be operational, political, and symbolic.

Among the responsibilities would be, in particular: identifying and documenting acts of hatred, vandalism, violence, and discrimination against Christians and places of worship; cooperating with Member States to improve data collection, strengthen preventive measures, and support victims; preparing recommendations and proposals for action for the European Commission on protecting Christians; coordinating the exchange of best practices among countries (including the security of places of worship, incident monitoring, and training for public service personnel); raising awareness within European institutions about the scale and nature of these phenomena; and promoting appropriate political visibility for a problem that is often currently overlooked.

How can people support your initiative?

First of all, by joining our initiative. You should visit the website

https://www.stop-christianophobie.eu/en

and sign the petition. I also encourage everyone to send the link to friends and family and to share the petition on social media.