In Strasbourg, during the European Parliament’s plenary session, a debate was held titled “Targeted Attacks on Christians in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: Defending Religious Freedom and Security.” Patryk Jaki, co-chair of the ECR Group, spoke during the debate.
The PiS MEP noted that Christians are the most persecuted group in the world: “Worldwide, more than 380 million Christians in 78 countries face severe persecution and discrimination because of their faith.” As he noted, in 50 countries included in the World Persecution Index, persecution reaches “very high” or “extremely high” levels.
Patryk Jaki emphasized that “what has been happening recently in the Congo cannot go unanswered.” He said that “once again, Christians have been murdered there solely because of their faith, and the perpetrators left the bodies in a church as a form of statement.” “Over the past 15 months, a total of more than 600 people have been verified as having been brutally murdered there, including more than 500 Christians who died in these attacks,” — the PiS MEP noted, adding that these figures demonstrate the systemic nature of the persecution. He said that since declaring their allegiance to the Islamic State, ISIS-affiliated democratic forces have intensified their attacks, which have become more brutal—such as bombings and beheadings—and some of these are recorded and shown as propaganda. “The European Union, which was founded by Christians, must stand up for the most persecuted religion in the world today—the religion of freedom, respect, and dialogue,” appealed Patryk Jaki.
