Ireland must address ‘urgent issue’ of Christian persecution on UN Security Council

Michael Kinsella of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) said Ireland should highlight the “very pressing and urgent issues surrounding Christian persecution” now that they are on the UN Security Council.

Aontú leader Peadar Tóibín has also spoken up about the need to tackle religious persecution “whenever and wherever it happens”.

Their comments come as Ireland took its seat at the 15-member Council for the first time on January 1.

Dr Kinsella said that Ireland “should be aware at a foreign diplomacy level that Christians are the most persecuted group on the planet”.

Ireland should use the “significant platform of the Council” to be a “voice for the voiceless”, the ACN Ireland national director continued.

“Ireland in a sense can be a voice for the voiceless, be a voice for other small open democracies and ensure that any security resolutions proposed and passed are for the common good of humanity and not for the vested interests of the few,” he said.

Meanwhile, Meath TD Peadar Tóibín said the Irish State “has been reluctant to call out religious persecution or Christian persecution” and this needs to be addressed.

“There’s no doubt in my mind that it is a difficulty around the world and needs to be focused on and tackled wherever it happens – whether it’s in North Africa or China or anywhere else around the world,” Mr Tóibín said.

Mr Tóibín highlighted the West’s silence on the persecution of Uighur Muslims in China as being influenced by “the economic clout that China holds currently”.

“I think that’s wrong, we need to be able to increase the importance of human rights in the Security Council meetings, especially with China.”

However, the Aontú leader stressed that Ireland had to be consistent in tackling human rights abuses wherever they occur.