UK report urges global action against Christian persecution

LONDON – Britain’s foreign secretary has embraced a new report that concludes Christians frequently endure the heaviest burden of persecution globally, arguing that it should be labeled as “Christophobia.”

Jeremy Hunt backed the report by Right Rev. Philip Mounstephen, the bishop of Truro. Hunt said that governments have preferred general language of condemnation rather than calling out persecution against Christians for what it is and giving it a name.

Hunt said Monday the government has not always grappled with the issue “perhaps because of a misguided political correctness or an instinctive reluctance to talk about religion.”

The report recommends that Britain push for a U.N. Security Council resolution urging governments in the Middle East and North Africa to protect Christians and other persecuted minorities.