Speaking at the launch of a report into the persecution of Christians throughout the world Cardinal O'Brien said:
"I urge (Foreign Secretary) William Hague to obtain guarantees from foreign governments before they are given aid.If you listen to virtually any radio station that has a public phone-in, or speak to a reasonable cross section of the public, the would agree with the gist of what the Cardinal has said. Additionally there is growing anger at the fact that this government is still shipping millions in aid to India and China, when they are spending millions of their own money on nuclear weapons and, in the case of China, oppressing its own population.
"To increase aid to the Pakistan government when religious freedom is not upheld and those who speak up for religious freedom are gunned down is tantamount to an anti-Christian foreign policy.
"Pressure should now be put on the Government of Pakistan - and the governments of the Arab world as well - to ensure that religious freedom is upheld, the provision of aid must require a commitment to human rights."
Then we have the case of Afghanistan, where people converting to Christianity are sentenced to death by the state, a state we helped establish and have troops laying down their lives to defend.
But most of us gave up thinking our government was there to defend us, our beliefs and our way of life a long time ago.Thank goodness for people like Cardinal O'Brien
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Coverage of Cardinal O'Brien's speech from the Press Association.
4 comments:
Bravo Cardinal Keith O’Brien!
There’s nothing more satisfying than when someone of import publicly takes the bull by the horns, and articulates what many of us have been thinking for a long time.
I have said more times than I care to remember, that UK – and EU – foreign aid should be conditional on the receiving country’s treatment of religious and ethnic minority groups.
Well done Cardinal Keith O’Brien!
I always find it interesting that the usual suspects in this country, George Galloway for example, blame Israel if a Palestinian blows himself and others to smithereens, but are silent when Christians in certain countries, Pakistan for example, are murdered for being Christian.
George Galloway - and the likes - would blame Israel for it being a rainy day in Britain.
You know, it's all a sinister Zionist conspiracy really.
But you're right Gregg, the double standards are just sickening frankly.
ho! Ho! HO!
It's a golden oldie:
"Foreign aid is taking money from poor people in rich countries & givng it to rich people in poor countries."
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