Jeremy Hunt raises plight of persecuted Christians in Easter message

The Foreign Secretary has written 40 letters to Christians, faith groups and leaders to mark the end of Lent.

Mr Hunt said he was “appalled” that 245 million Christians worldwide faced persecution as a result of their faith.

Some 300 Christians are killed every month because of their beliefs, the Foreign Office said.

Mr Hunt’s first letter was to 90-year-old Dutchman Andrew van der Bijl, who smuggled bibles into the communist Eastern bloc during the Cold War and founded the Open Doors charity.

In his letter to the missionary, known as Brother Andrew, Mr Hunt said: “As a man of faith, free to practise in line with my conscience, I am appalled at the plight of the 245 million Christians worldwide currently facing persecution as a result of their belief.

“I want you to know that the UK stands in solidarity with persecuted Christians around the world.”

The Foreign Office acknowledged that the UK has not always reflected the suffering of persecuted Christians in its foreign policy.

Mr Hunt has launched a review into the issue, led by the Bishop of Truro the Rt Rev Philip Mounstephen.

At the time of the review’s launch in January, Mr Hunt suggested that sensitivity around Britain’s imperial legacy may have hampered efforts to address the issue.

He said: “We want to – if I can put it this way – banish the hesitation…