SW News: Imitating Hungary, Italy has decided to appoint a special envoy for persecuted Christians. Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said that he has asked the help of the Sovereign Order of the Knights of Malta to appoint an official to mitigate the suffering of persecuted believers.

He made this clear while visiting the headquarters of the Order of Malta on Tuesday. He was accorded a warm welcome by the order’s secretary general for foreign affairs and ambassador to the Italian Republic Stefano Ronca and Grand Chancellor Riccardo Paterno. Later, Tajani was granted an audience by the Grand Master of the Order Fra John T Dunlap.

"We will work together to protect Christian minorities in the world. I believe that it is right to protect them and ensure that religious freedom can be everywhere. There must be mutuality and we will fight for this, he said.

In fact, Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni of the Brothers of Italy party has spoken about Christians being persecuted. In her 2021 Easter message, she said Christians were facing persecution just because of their faith and she made a mention of Iraq and Syria in the Middle East. Therefore, it is not surprising that her government has taken the proactive move to appoint an envoy to help persecuted believers.

The Hungarian government led by Viktor Orban is active in rushing aid to persecuted Christians across the world. During a conference in London in November last year, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Peter Szijjarto said that his government is committed to protecting the future of pro-Christian initiatives such as the Hungary Helps program. He also added that believers who face persecution can count on the Hungarian government for assistance.

Hungarian State Secretary for the Aid of Persecuted Christians Tristan Azbej is in charge of the Hungary Helps initiative that was launched five years ago. Already, it has given 80 million dollars for rebuilding houses and institutions of Christians and for establishing schools and hospitals. One million Christians in 54 nations have received Hungary’s assistance so far.