EU Parliament Recognizes “Christianophobia” for the First Time

The European Parliament has formally used the term “Christianophobia” in an official resolution which marks a significant step toward recognizing anti-Christian discrimination as a distinct institutional concern within the European Union.

The resolution, adopted on January 21, 2026 is part of the Annual Report on Human Rights and Democracy in the World 2025 (TA-10-2026-0014), expressed regret that Christianity remains the most persecuted religion in the world, with more than 380 million people affected globally.

Paragraph 84 of the document drew particular attention to the absence of a dedicated European coordinator tasked with combating Christianophobia, a role that already exists for combating both antisemitism and Islamophobia.

This disparity is the epitome of “institutional asymmetry,” and the resolution’s language brings that gap into sharp relief. By explicitly calling for the European Commission to appoint a coordinator for Christianophobia, the Parliament is urging the EU’s executive body to bring its treatment of anti-Christian hatred in line with how it addresses other forms of religiously motivated discrimination.

Organizations, including OIDAC Europe and the Commission of the Bishops’ Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), welcomed the resolution as meaningful progress. Some, however, prefer the framing “anti-Christian hatred” over “Christianophobia,” presenting arguments that it’s more precise and sidesteps debate over the use of “phobia”-based terminology.

It’s worth noting the limits of what this resolution represents: The European Parliament’s action is a formal statement of intent and concern, it is not, however, a binding policy. The broader EU institutional framework still treats hostility toward Christians under general religion-based discrimination categories rather than as a specially designated form. As of March 2026, no dedicated coordinator has yet been appointed.

Nonetheless, the resolution represents a notable shift in tone and language.

For the first time, the EU’s directly elected legislative body has put the word “Christianophobia” into an official text. As such, they’ve signaled that the question of how Europe’s institutions address anti-Christian discrimination is unlikely to fade quietly from the agenda.

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