Denis O'Donovan (Fianna Fail)

Will the Leader ask the Minister for Foreign Affairs to come to the House in the near future to deal with an issue about which I feel strongly, namely, the persecution of Christians throughout the world? There is an organisation in Ireland called Church in Chains. It came as a shock to me when I did some research on the issue that in many countries there is both a failure to have regard for human rights and a widespread level of persecution of Christians.

It was a particular surprise to me that in Turkey, a country with high hopes of joining the European Union and one that is being pushed by the US to become a member of it, there is major persecution of all Christian religions, not just Catholics. Another country that came as a surprise to me as one where persecution is widespread is Belarus, which is closer to us. In this day and age, human rights issues are raised and the persecution of Christians is common in many of the most populated countries in the world. It would be appropriate that this small nation, which prides itself on the freedom of speech and religion and human rights, raises the flag. Will the Minister, Deputy Micheál Martin, come before the House to debate this issue on a broader scale and discuss not only the persecution of Christians but also the deprivation of human rights in countries with which we do much business and which have ambassadors here? This issue should be raised and is most appropriate in this century.