HC Deb 10 June 1953 vol 516 c200
14. Mr. de Freitas

asked the Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs on what occasions during the last two years representations have been made to foreign governments against the religious persecution of Christians of the Protestant or Roman Catholic faith.

Mr. Selwyn Lloyd

I will, with permission, circulate the detailed answer in the OFFICIAL REPORT.

Following is the answer: List of Representations made since March, 1952, to foreign Governments where specific British interests of a religious nature were involved:
  1. (i) On 29th March, 1951, H.M. Ambassador at Madrid made representations about the continued closure of five British-owned Evangelical chapels in Spain.
  2. (ii) On 29th March, 1951, H.M. Ambassador at Madrid asked for the relaxation of the ban on the importation into Spain of Bibles and devotional works by the British and Foreign Bible Society. These were required for worshippers at British-owned chapels in Spain.
  3. (iii) On 26th May, 1951, H.M. Ambassador at Madrid protested against the ill-treatment by the local Spanish authorities of Mrs. Stuart Brown, the wife of a British missionary at Cozar, Spain.
  4. (iv) H.M. Ambassador at Madrid made representations on 16th February, 1952, about the refusal of the Spanish police to allow celebration of worship at a Canadian-owned chapel in Madrid.
    5. 201
  5. (v) H.M. Ambassador at Bogota made representations to the Colombian Government about assaults on a Canadian missionary, the Rev. Ralph Hines, on 15th February, and 29th April. 1952.
  6. (vi) On 25th February, 1952, H.M. Ambassador at Madrid repeated his representations about the continued closure of British-owned chapels in Spain and the ban on the importation of Bibles (see (i) and (ii) above).
  7. (vii) On 18th March, and 10th May, 1952, H.M. Ambassador at Madrid protested against an attack on a British-owned chapel at Seville and claimed compensation.
  8. (viii) On 12th April, 1953, H.M. Ambassador at Bogota protested about an assault on the Rev. Samuel Heap, a British missionary.
  9. (ix) In China, H.M. Minister at Peking has made numerous protests on the imprisonment, detention and sufferings of Christian missionaries in that country. In September, 1951, in April, September and December, 1952, and in April. 1953, he made general representations about all United Kingdom, Canadian and United Nations nationals, the majority of whom are missionaries, imprisoned or detained in China.
  10. (x) H.M. Minister at Peking has also made individual representations in the following cases:

U.K. Citizens

(a) Rev. G. Bull—nine times.

(b) Sister Dominic Marie Turner—three times.

Canadian citizens

(c) Sister Raymone-Marie—once.

(d) Sister Veronique—once.

(e) Sister Marie-Germaine—once.

(f) Sister Alphonse du Redempteur—once.

(g) Sister Paule-Alix—once.

(h) Ten sisters of the Mission of Our Lady of the Angels at Kueiyang—once.

(i) Five nuns of the Catholic Orphanage at Canton—once.

United States citizens

(j) Bishop G. O'Gara—once.

(k) Bishop Francis Ford (deceased)—once.

(l) Bishop Carlton Lacey (deceased)—once.

(m) Father Does—once.

(n) Father Westhoven—once.

(o) Father Leonard—once.