July 19, 2021
The second anniversary of the Truro Review this month has been marked by a webinar hosted by the Bishop of Truro himself. The Truro Review, commissioned by Jeremy Hunt in 2018 as an independent review into the global persecution of Christians, presented 22 recommendations for the UK Government for changes in policy and practice to protect freedom of religion and belief around the world.
Since its publication, the Government pledged to adopt all 22 recommendations. This anniversary event served as a moment to measure what has already been achieved and to take stock of what remains outstanding before a formal independent review due next year.
The meeting was overwhelmingly positive, with Archbishop Angaelos commenting that the Truro Review was “one of the most historic reviews of our time” and the Bishop of Truro stating the response of the UK Government “wildly exceeded” his expectations. However, there was also criticism of the UK’s response to genocide, recent cuts to UK Aid and the prosecution of Daesh (also known as ISIS) perpetrators of sex crimes against Yazidi and Christian women.
The Bishop of Truro hosted the meeting, laying out why the implementation of the Truro Review matters and highlighted the worsening abuse of FoRB globally. Special mention was given to Uighur Muslims in China, the Rohingya in Burma, the Bahá’í community in Iran and Ahmadi’s in Pakistan.
He stated that the review called for the Government “to make FoRB central to our operations and culture on the world stage. I am proud as a country we have achieved this.”
