The participants of the two-day conference held on 11-13 October 2017 entitled “International conference on the Persecution of Christians - Seeking Answers to a Long-neglected Crisis”, hosted by the Deputy State Secretariat for the Aid of Persecuted Christians within the Ministry of Human Capacities, adopted the Budapest Declaration.
The widespread support for the document is evident from the fact that the conference was attended by delegates from 32 countries on four continents, including ten high-ranking church officials. Below is the full text of the Budapest Declaration.
Budapest Declaration
The participants of the conference
(1) Express their deepest solidarity towards those Christian and other religious minorities around the world that are being persecuted.
(2) Welcome and support all efforts by governments, church and non-governmental organisations whose aim is to raise their voices in the name of the persecuted religious minorities of the world, with particular emphasis on Christians.
(3) Recognise the Hungarian government’s actions in support of persecuted Christians and other religious minorities, as well as the similar actions of other governments.
(4) Condemn any action aimed at denying or curtailing the free exercising of basic human rights, with particular emphasis on violations of religious freedom.
(5) Call upon the international community to speak for persecuted religious minorities, stand up for them, and use all possible legal means against groups that commit atrocities against Christians and other religious minorities.
(6) Emphasise that the barbarian acts committed by the terrorist organisation calling itself the Islamic State, or any other similar terrorist organisations or militias, amount to crimes against humanity and war crimes, and accordingly all countries of the world must act in order to stop these criminal activities and bring to justice the persons responsible for them.
(7) Support the role of the special envoy in reinforcing freedom of religion and belief outside the European Union.
(8) Call upon the European Union to revise the effectiveness of restrictive measures and amend them taking into account the interests of the civilian populations of the countries involved.
(9) Call upon the world’s political decision-makers and influencers of public opinion to promote the free exercise of religion in the crisis areas where Christians and other religious minorities are being persecuted, in order to ensure international freedom and security, with particular emphasis on certain regions of the Middle East, Africa and Asia.
(10) Call upon the world’s governments and international organisations to seek long-term solutions in order to end the persecution of Christians and other religious minorities, and to ensure the exercising of all human rights, included that of the free exercising of religion in accordance with Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
(11) Call for the urgent reconstruction of schools and other infrastructures, in order to allow Christians and other persecuted religious minorities to remain or return to their ancestral lands.
(12) Call for the support of political, economic and security solutions that will allow Christians or refugees belonging to other religious minorities to return to their home countries.
(13) Urge common action on behalf of the world’s governments and international organisations to end atrocities against Christians and other religious minorities, and to implement immediate and concrete measures in accordance with that goal.
13 October, 2017, Budapest