A few days ago both Catholic Culture and Zenit reported that 105,000 Christians are killed every year because of their faith. This means that a a follower of Christ is martyred every five minutes, confirming that the Christian faith remains the most persecuted religion or group in the history of the world. It is therefore shocking that most secular news agencies completely ignored this story, which they surely would have covered if those being persecuted were homosexual, Muslim or from some other "minority."Catholic Culture reports that this "shocking figure was disclosed by Italian sociologist Massimo Introvigne, representative of the OSCE (Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe) on Combating Intolerance and Discrimination against Christians." Massimo Introvigne revealed the figure whilst speaking in Hungary at the International Conference on Inter-religious dialogue between Christians, Jews and Muslims, which was sponsored by the Hungarian presidency of the European Union.
It is important to note that the number of Christians killed for their faith does not include the victims of war or civil strife, but represents only the people put to death because they believe in Jesus Christ. This therefore means that it is correct to say that, as Introvigne put it: "Every five minutes a Christian is killed for his faith." The well-respected sociologist added: "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."
The conference was the highlight of the Hungarian government's EU presidency and attracted many important participants from various world religions, including Cardinal Péter Erdo of Budapest; Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa (Custos of the Holy Land); Archbishop Antonio Maria Vegliò (President of the Pontifical Council for Migrants); Maronite Archbishop Paul Matar of Beirut; Metropolitan Hilarion (foreign minister of the Russian Orthodox Church); Gusztáv Zoltai (representative of the European Jewish Congress), Ömür Orhun (representative of the Organization of Islamic Conferences); and the general secretary of the Committee for Islamic-Christian dialogue in Lebanon, Chakib Hares Chehab.
According to Catholic Culture, Cardinal Erdo emphasised that Christian communities in the Middle East would soon die out because of the need to emigrate in the face of persecution by Islamists. He also warned that, "all Christians will escape feeling threatened, and Europe should be preparing for a new wave of emigration, this time of Christians fleeing persecution." Metropolitan Hilarion, spoke on behalf of the Orthodox Church, when he stated that "at least one million" Christian children alone are currently experiencing extreme persecution for their faith throughout the world.
It is high time that our Western governments started shifting their emphasis from protecting so-called minorities that have nothing to fear, to safe-guarding the millions of Christians around the globe who face discrimination, persecution and death for their belief in the Prince of Peace. It is also imperative that we who call ourselves Christians wake up to the needs of our brothers and sisters around the world, especially those persecuted by Islamic or Communist regimes. These are the people of whom Our Lord spoke, "Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me" (cf Mt 25:40). Our salvation depends not on our standing up for the rights of those who hate the Church, but on the way we react to Christ's own brethren!
[Image: "Don't Kill Christians" sign held aloft during a protest in Pakistan; source: Being is Good blog]
4 comments:
Thanks for this post. It's certainly a reminder of the many thousands of our brothers and sisters in Christ for who persecution and discrimination is a daily reality.
Within my tradition we are currently very much aware of the plight of Mennonite Christians in Vietnam. Historically, Anabaptists had a bloody baptism and died in their thousands in both Catholic and Protestant countries. Persecution (and martyrdom) is a difficult issue to present today, partly because we can also use martyrdom ideologically,(as Nietzsche pointed out). For all of us who call ourselves Christian, it is deeply uncomfortable that we have been both persecuted and persecutor.
Still, this is an account which needs to be made known. I'm glad to find it on this blog. Shalom, phil
One cannot help feel an anguish at reading that our fellow Christians are being persecuted and martyed in these Countries. But more so that confounds me is the placid resignation of Christians who through indifference turn the other way. If we delay any longer in raising our voices and our prayers towards heaven are we not the real culprits being hardened by our sins of ommission?
Christ still lives among us, each day we are confronted with people who love him and those who do not. There is a passion for the Passion of Christ and one for his destruction and the elimination and to annul God in the world. We must stand together and raise our voices loudly against this injustice. May the shadow of Our Lord's cross follow the perpetrators everywhere in the hope that they will encounter the spark of God in their lives and save their own souls.
Thank you for this caring post.
"...the people of whom Our Lord spoke"
He spoke for all the hurting and persecuted, those killed or merely left to die unloved in his midst. He committed his ageing Mother to us.
Please also "stand together" and raise your considerable voice against those in the Church who cruelly display disability aids as objects of fun.
Others have commented drawing attention to this priest's blog. Please use your Rome experience to suggest ways we can remonstrate against this person's blunder whose Initial, being the final of the alphabet, seems also to be at the extreme end of priestly blogging insensitivity.
Thank you.
The link to this unpleasant material is:
http://wdtprs.com/blog/2011/06/hello-detroit/
It was this sort of attitude that encouraged the Nazis to destroy the disabled and what was termed "Life unfit for life".
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