Answer at the Saint Joseph University’s Campus in Beirut

Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen Presents a Lecture On Religious Freedom and Persecuted Christians

At the joint invitation and organization of the Middle East Council of Churches, the Bible Society, and the Faculty of Religious Sciences at the Saint Joseph University (USJ) in Beirut, a lecture entitled “Why Our Religious Freedom Matters” was given by Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen, Bishop of Truro, and Author of the FCDO’s independent review of persecuted Christians. It was held on Thursday 13 October 2022, at Francois Basil auditorium in the Innovation and Sports Campus, at the Saint Joseph University. Attendees were representatives of concerned organizations and parties, priests and people interested in the topic at hand.

In his lecture, Rt Revd Mounstephen presented an overview of the various reasons of his visit to Lebanon, especially those related to freedom of religion or belief... He also gave some insight into the specific work he has undertaken regarding the freedom of religion or belief, a perspective which he hopes will help in Lebanon to pursue this agenda in the country which includes a diversity of religions and cultures. He also highlighted in detail the review he prepared in 2018 on persecuted Christians and its results. In the review, he also tackled the way the UK Foreign Office, the FCO, had addressed - or otherwise - the persecution of Christians. Rt Revd Mounstephen was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, to prepare the review, following a request from the then Foreign Secretary, Jeremy Hunt.

You can click here to read the full text of the lecture.

The lecture was presented by the Director of the MECC Theological and Ecumenical Department Father Dr. Antoine Al Ahmar. It started with a welcome speech by the President of Saint Joseph University, Father Professor Salim Daccache, the Jesuit, who said that religious freedom is not a normal issue, but an issue that should be studied in universities and academic space. He also thanked the Bible Society, praising the partnership between it and the university, and its work for various issues of interest to our country, especially Christian-Muslim dialogue...

As well as, Daccache addressed a word of appreciation to the Middle East Council of Churches and its Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs for his continuous effort to strengthen ecumenism, so Christians’ testimony in the East remains a reflection of the light of Christ the Savior, especially amidst dark days. He stressed the importance of the religious freedom’s issue, and denounced restrictions, pressure and repression of rights that some people are subjected to. He also said that "we seek and strive to consolidate pluralism by living together and achieving salvation through building true citizenship, which affirms freedoms, rights and duties among people in various fields."

In his turn, the MECC Secretary General Dr. Michel Abs tackled the freedom of belief, human dignity and humanity, and said that in the 21st century we are witnessing religious and sectarian discrimination in addition to various types of discrimination, and this is an indicator that humanity is still in crisis. He pointed out that modern society is a highly diverse composition and is made from ethnic and racial mosaics. Thus, we have an abundance of intellectual production on the management of diversity. He also added that during the previous ten decades, hundreds of international and local governmental and non-governmental organizations were established and dozens of historical documents were issued encouraging the respect for and acceptance of the other's belief... However, it seems that all these efforts have not yielded the desired results.

He also said that humanity is in a race between good and bad and between love and hatred. Amidst the increase of the institutions’ activities working for the development of the interaction and dialogue between people, we find an increase in the activity of those who work to destroy these cultural achievements... Fighting discrimination in general is part of building a citizen with full citizenship and an incubator for diversity, as the citizen needs an integrated system including legislation, media awareness and education...

Dr. Abs added, "We, at the Middle East Council of Churches, are today preparing to establish the Dialogue and Social Cohesion Department, which will launch projects aiming at rebuilding the social capital which is destroyed in our societies due to conflicts, poverty and displacement. The projects of this department will be implemented in Lebanon, Iraq and Egypt. As an ecumenical institution, we seek to know the truth which liberates us, and work towards societies in which citizens can live with dignity...". Full speech in Arabic.

Then, the Secretary General of the Bible Society Dr. Mike Bassous presented a detailed introduction about Rt Revd Philip Mounstephen, and highlighted his Ecclesiastical and spiritual journey and the most prominent works he accomplished.

The lecture ended with discussion and questions from the audience, as well as a Vin D’honneur reception.