Vatican officials this week warned that the coronavirus pandemic is fueling a rise in religious discrimination worldwide.
Speaking at a conference, Vatican spokesman Janusz Urbanczyk said that lockdowns and increased time spent online are encouraging cyberbullying, according to Vatican News. Online discrimination often leads to real-world violence, because it is “a slippery slope which starts with mockery and social intolerance,” he said.
Urbanczyk also criticized the suspension of “rights and fundamental freedoms” in countries where church services have been limited or banned, calling the decision by governments a “de facto discriminatory treatment.”
Since the pandemic began, a number of religious organizations have noted an increase in religious discrimination. The uptick has been most pronounced among Jewish communities, with two studies in the past month recording the highest levels of anti-Semitism in the past four decades both in the United States and globally.
In totalitarian countries such as China and Iran, religious watchdogs have reported ramped-up persecution of religious minority groups.
A vocal minority of Christians in the U.S. have also criticized state governments for limiting or banning religious services. President Trump on Friday threw his support behind churches trying to reopen, saying that he would “override” governors who continued to prevent in-person services.
