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  (Photo: Reuters/Juda Ngwenya)
  This file photo shows a sign pointing towards a church burned down by riots in northern Nigeria.

An international interfaith conference has revealed that 105,000 Christians are being killed every year simply because of their faith.

The shocking figures revealed at the “International Conference on Inter-religious dialogue between Christians, Jews and Muslims,” held in Hungary, show that a Christian is killed every five minutes somewhere in the world because of their faith.

Massimo Introvigne, representative of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) on Combating Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians, added that these figures did not include the victims of civil wars, or wars between nations, but only the people put to death because they are Christians.

According to the “Catholic Culture” publication, Introvigne said, “If these figures are not cried out to the world, if this massacre is not stopped, if it is not recognized that the persecution against Christians is the first worldwide emergency with regard to religious discrimination and violence, dialogue between religions will only produce wonderful symposia but no concrete results.”

Metropolitan Hilarion, who is the foreign minister of the Russian Orthodox Church, highlighted to the delegates that of the Christians being persecuted every year “at least one million” were children.

The event was hosted by the Hungarian government as a highlight of its EU presidency of the European Union, and religious representatives from across the world, and from across various faiths, gathered.

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In a hopeful sign, the Egyptian diplomat Mahmoud Aly told congregants that the North African country was preparing to pass a number of laws that would protect the Christian minorities in Egypt.

Aly explained that new legislation would ensure those that commit hate speech, or gather in hostile groups outside churches, would be prosecuted.

Cardinal Péter Erdo of Budapest commented: “But the danger is for many Christian communities in the Middle East to die out for emigration. For all Christians will escape feeling threatened. And Europe should be preparing for a new wave of emigration, this time of Christians fleeing persecution.”