ACN releases petition for global religious freedom

Aid to the Church in Need Ireland (ACN) is appealing to people to sign a new petition it has launched aimed at highlighting the often savage persecution of Christians in many parts of the world today. “In 2026, no one should have to choose between their faith and their life,” said Brandon Scott, Advocacy Officer for ACN Ireland. The online petition is being sent to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, and the UN General Assembly.

The petition, titled ‘Protect the Right to Believe: A Global Call for Religious Freedom’, had 31,846 signatures earlier this week, and a goal of 100,000 signatures.

The petition states: “Members of almost every religious group, including Buddhists, Christians, Hindus, Jews, and Muslims, have suffered discrimination (especially, but not only, in the workplace and school), physical violence, arrest, abduction, sexual abuse — and have even been killed — for simply wanting to live out their faith.”

Mr Scott said: “We are asking people to be a voice for the voiceless and help stop the atrocity of religious persecution. The petition is hugely important to highlight to decision-makers at the United Nations (UN) that people really want them to take religious freedom seriously, and ensure that it is protected as a fundamental human right.” He continued, “We are witnessing a human rights emergency on a global scale.”

Sign the petition at acninternational.org/petition/.