“A culture and civilisation is being destroyed and our political leaders are silent,”

Shameful apathy over Christians’ plight

David Cameron caused consternation among the secular intelligentsia in 2011 when he declared, in a speech to a church audience, “We are a Christian country and we should not be afraid to say so.” The evidence that was subsequently much argued over related almost wholly to domestic policy and the state of public opinion in Britain. Nothing the Prime Minister said then referred to foreign policy where, despite the occasional mention of human rights, Britain’s preference has usually been to pursue its interests rather than its principles. There is hardly a glimpse of what might be called a Christian foreign policy, such as would be recognisable to, say, Gladstone or Palmerston.

For instance, can a “Christian country”, or at least a Government thereof which sees itself in such terms, ignore what is happening to Christians overseas? Francis Campbell, a distinguished holder of the post of British Ambassador to the Holy See, has challenged the Prime Minister via social media about his apparent indifference to what is happening to Christian communities in Iraq. The entire Christian population of Mosul, a presence there for at least 1,600 years, has been driven out by the Islamist fanatics of ISIS under the threat of death or forced conversion. “A culture and civilisation is being destroyed and our political leaders are silent,”

Mr Campbell said. “Why is the UK silent on the ethnic cleansing of Christians from Mosul?”

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