![]() ![]() They have the kind of passion that inspires people to care for their neighbour, to motivate work for education in schools, or in healthcare. But billions of people take their religion or belief so seriously that they would consider giving their life for it. Religious communities can themselves be agents of repression and violence, often through manipulation. FoRB matters because, when people are free to worship and express themselves, faiths work with others to bring flourishing: they bring grassroots community transformations that are the golden hope of the soft power of diplomats and development NGOs. The average Anglican is a woman in her 30s in the Global South on less than $4 per day with a 50% chance of being in a zone of conflict or persecution.Ĩ0% of the world describe themselves as religious, and those who don’t have the same rights to freedom. ![]() The greatest privilege of my work is to oversee the ministry of the Anglican Communion, the third largest global church, with presence in 165 countries. I have 4 minutes, so please excuse the blunt and direct way I shall speak. Thank you Foreign Secretary and all in the UK Government team for hosting us today for such an important meeting. Read Archbishop Justin's speech, as prepared for delivery, below: If you don’t offer people freedom, safety and opportunity, or if you only offer this to some people and not to others, you are not really leading – and your people will not want to follow.” He told the summit: “Leadership is never easy. Noting that religious communities can themselves be agents of repression and violence, he went on to say that billions have the kind of faith that “inspires people to care for their neighbour, to motivate work for education in schools, or in healthcare”. “When national leaders pursue freedom of religion and belief, they have an opportunity to bring a wealth of wisdom around the table, harnessed to the common good,” he said. The Archbishop also cautioned against marginalising freedom of religion. “Women, minorities, many other people miss out.” “We know that, when freedoms of expression and worship are restricted, other freedoms and opportunities are limited too," he said. ![]() He highlighted how religious repression can often be linked with wider restrictions in societies. Thanking the UK Government for hosting the meeting, he told delegates: “Freedom of Religion or Belief matters because, when people are free to worship and express themselves, faiths work with others to bring flourishing: they answer the needs of development and reconciliation bring grassroots community transformations that are the golden hope of the soft power of diplomats and development NGOs.” He told a global summit on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB) in London how faith inspires “billions” of people in the world today to serve their communities.Īrchbishop Justin was addressing the Fourth Annual Global Ministerial Summit on Freedom of Religion or Belief, which is being hosted by the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. Restrictions on freedom of worship often go hand-in-hand with other forms of repression including against women and minorities, the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has warned government ministers from around the world. ![]()
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