The Swiss Bishops Conference has expressed concern over violence against Christians in Iraq and Egypt, among other countries.
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The bishops recognised the “difficult situation” for Christians in Iraq and called on law and order forces to work to guarantee respect for all minorities in the country, the conference said following its annual meeting in Lugano.
Systematic killings have been carried out to try to chase Christians out of the country, the conference said. In the past two weeks alone, nine Christians have been killed in Mosul during attacks.
Christians are also under threat in Egypt, India, Nigeria and other countries. In one incident in the upper Egyptian town of Nag Hammadi seven people were killed during the Coptic Christmas celebrations in January. The Coptic Christian population in Egypt is the largest Christian community in the Middle East.
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Catholic bishops oppose minaret ban
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In a statement, the conference said that like church steeples, minarets marked a religion’s presence in the public domain. The bishops said that a ban would hinder interreligious dialogue and added that the construction and operation of minarets were already regulated by Swiss building codes. The initiative to ban minarets was launched by the rightwing…
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The ten-strong delegation found that Christian minorities in Iran were free to practise their religion but could only do so within their own communities. “On one side they are happy to live in a country where they can practise their faith. They can organise mass, they can pray and they can have churches,” said Mario…
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They hope the pioneering project, to be launched in May, will help them find a common position on problem issues, such as the recent row over the publication of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed. “The globalisation of religion is a fact, and here in Switzerland we also have different cultures and religions,” said Markus Sahli,…
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If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.