Catholic Bishop of Shrewsbury calls for Government to take action after vote on Isis 'genocide'

The Right Reverend Mark Davies issued a statement following the unanimous 278-0 vote in the House of Commons on Wednesday that recognised atrocities against Christians, Yazidis and other religious minorities in Syria and Iraq as a campaign of genocide waged by Isis.

Bishop Davies said: "We are witnessing nothing less than genocide being committed with horrifying cruelty against Christians and other minorities in the Middle East. Whole communities face annihilation.

"I hope the British Government will reconsider its position and be ready to stand with other governments and international bodies in recognising this crime of genocide."

Bishop Davies had previously denounced the genocide in a homily preached in Shrewsbury Cathedral on Easter Sunday.

An attempt to recognise the genocide in the House of Lords had failed just days earlier after the Government whipped Conservative peers to vote against. But this week, MPs voted unanimously to support a motion tabled by Fiona Bruce, the Conservative MP for Congleton in Cheshire, which indicated the clear will of Parliament.

The motion read: "This House believes that Christians, Yazidis, and other ethnic and religious minorities in Iraq and Syria are suffering genocide and calls on the Government to make an immediate referral to the UN Security Council with a view to conferring jurisdiction upon the International Criminal Court so that perpetrators can be brought to justice."

After the vote, Mrs Bruce said that it was the responsibility of the Government to follow the will of Parliament.

If a resolution was adopted by the United Nations, the countries which have signed the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide would have an obligation to bring the activities of ISIS to an end, to prioritise the protection of the victims, and to pursue perpetrators.