According to the EU Bishops' Commission COMECE, hatred against Christians must be combated more strongly in the European Union.
"We would like the European Union to take up the fight against this phenomenon with more determination", said the Deputy Secretary General, Alessandro Calcagno, at a meeting of the European Parliament's cross-party working group on freedom of religion or belief. Calcagno also called for the appointment of an EU coordinator to combat Christian hatred and protect believers.
He referred to the report published on Monday by the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians in Europe (OIDAC Europe).
It listed 2,211 anti-Christian hate crimes for the year 2024. According to Calcagno, the number of attacks increased significantly - to 274 cases.
More arson attacks on churches and other Christian institutions were also recorded.
The appointment of a coordinator would be a very concrete step that the Union could take to combat this problem, emphasised the COMECE representative.
The special features of Jewish and Muslim communities, which can already count on an EU coordinator, would not be called into question.
"At the same time, more and more reports clearly show crimes against Christians as well as hatred, intolerance and discrimination against them within the European Union," Calcagno continued.
Protection of religious freedom
Believers and "the holy sites of various religious communities" must also be protected, regardless of whether they belong to a majority or minority.
This is not only important for security reasons or because of symbolic values, "but in particular with regard to the protection of religious freedom", explained Calcagno.
He also called for Christian communities to be explicitly included in the AgoraEU programme for culture, media and civil society.
This could be used to fund initiatives to combat hatred, intolerance and discrimination.
Religious education should also be promoted in order to counter religious intolerance and discrimination and reduce the polarisation of EU societies.