Bishop of Truro welcomes Govt’s acceptance of all recommendations to help persecuted Christians

The Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen, who chaired the review, said he hopes it will now become a significant catalyst for change. 

Foreign Office Minister Sir Alan Duncan told the House of Commons that the Government had decided to accept every recommendation in full and outlined how they would take them forward. Sir Alan also said that a bold, whole-government response was needed.

Bishop Philip said: “I am of course very pleased to hear that the Government has decided to accept all of the recommendations in full, and delighted that Sir Alan has formally recognised the need for a response across the rest of Government.

“Our review was restricted to looking at the support from the FCO, but there was a feeling from the outset that this needs a cross-governmental approach, as this crucial issue traverses many boundaries and is not something that can be neatly compartmentalised.

“Accepting the recommendations in full is a measure of how seriously the Government is taking this issue and, I hope, a recognition at the highest level that Freedom of Religion or Belief is a fundamental human right – and one that is inextricably interconnected with other basic human rights, as well as issues such as security. For wherever we see this right compromised we can be confident there are other, darker forces at work.

“I hope that over the coming months and years the…