Roman Catholic Responses to Religious Persecution
David Alton Thursday, 1 December 2005
In Western democracies the contemporary debate about religious freedom often revolves around philosophical differences over the parameters between church and state, and between secular and religious values. By contrast, for millions of others, including many of the world's Christians, the issue of religious freedom has long been defined by real-world experience of persecution. The 20th century saw more Christian martyrs than the previous 19 centuries combined. Of the world's six billion inhabitants, more than half presently live in countries where being a Christian could cost you your life. Contemporaneously, 9/11 and the London bombings of July 2005 have thrown into sharp relief the ongoing challenge of peaceful co-existence in a religiously plural world.
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