Catholic Union Deputy Director, James Somerville-Meikle, writes:
Happy Easter! The Lord has truly risen. Alleluia, alleluia.
What a joy it is to be able to say this in confidence and in safety. Sadly we know that in many parts of the world, proclaiming Christ’s resurrection risks persecution and even death.
In Nigeria, there were deadly attacks during Holy Week in which almost 100 people were reportedly killed. These are some of the worst cases of Christian persecution in the world today and it is right that we highlight what is happening and do everything we can to help.
Yet, part of the response should also be to look closer to home to make sure that discrimination is not tolerated in our communities. As Bishop Kenneth Nowakowski said in a recent interview with the Catholic Union, peace “starts with the human heart”.
Shortly before Easter we published the results of our survey on religion in the workplace, which found that almost half of responders said they did not feel able to talk about their faith openly with colleagues. One third felt disadvantaged because of their faith.
As Parliament returns from Easter recess, it’s clear there is a lot of work to do in promoting freedom of religion at home and abroad.