EU official condemns attacks on Catholic churches

Brussels, Belgium, Feb 22, 2006 / 22:00 pm

Violent attacks against the Catholic Church impacts the right of Catholics to practice their faith, said deputy chairman of the European Commission Franco Frattini.

The former EU justice minister’s comments, made after a press conference in Brussels, were greatly in line with the message of Pope Benedict XVI on the series of violent reactions that erupted in response to the satirical cartoons about Islam that were printed in a Danish newspaper.

“When violent attacks are repeated against the Catholic Church, it touches at the heart of the right of Catholics to freely practice their faith,” he said, reported AGI.

“The right to criticize cannot be confined by violence,” he said, adding that Europe will continue to respond as it has done.

“No to violence — violence is not right even in response to an offence against one's religious belief — Yes to freedom for all religions and extreme concern about the attack on the Christian church and on Christians worldwide,” he was quoted as saying.