The next exodus of Christians?
ICC Note:
“A senior bishop in Syria has warned that Christianity in his country may suffer the same terrible fate as in neighbouring Iraq,” Aid to the Church in Need reports.
By John Pontifex
2/29/2012 Syria (Aid to the Church in Need) – A senior bishop in Syria has warned that Christianity in his country may suffer the same terrible fate as in neighbouring Iraq.
Speaking from northern Syria, the bishop, who asked not to be named for security reasons, said that “his most important” concern as a Christian leader was the danger of a mass exodus of faithful as happened in Iraq after 2003 following the fall of Saddam Hussein.
The bishop’s comments, made recently, come amid widespread fears that Christians will be among the worst to suffer if Assad falls and power is seized by Islamist rebel groups.
Meantime, some Church organisations have reported from centres of conflict, such as Homs, that up to 80 percent of Christians have fled in part as a result of an upsurge in religiously-motivated violence.
In his interview with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, the bishop said: “We in Syria do not want to become like Iraq [where] we have lost so many Christians because of war and devastation.”
He added: “Of course people want to stay but the insecurity and violence encourages them to leave.”
While saying he had no statistics on recent Christian emigration from Syria, the bishop underlined his concern of a mass exodus similar to the one in Iraq where Christians fell quickly from five percent of the population in 1997 to less than 300,000 in the years following the downfall of Saddam Hussein.
Many thousands of Iraqi Christians sought sanctuary in Syria which today has 2.5 million faithful who have traditionally prospered in one of the most liberal and tolerant countries in the Middle East.
The bishop said: “We Christians want to stay in Syria and live peacefully and with everybody and continue our presence serving our country and our people.”
The bishop’s comments follow reports of earlier this month which quote Ignatius Joseph III, Patriarch of the Syrian Catholic Church, warning Assad’s downfall might provoke disaster for Christians, with Islamic terrorists “targeting” Christians.
…
[Full Story]
FACEBOOK FEED
The U.S. government is calling for the release of Hkalam Samson, a prominent Baptist leader, who was arrested by the Myanmar military. State Department spokesman, Ned Price, told reporters recently, “We are extremely concerned for his well-being and safety and encourage our partners and allies to join us in calling on the regime to drop all charges and immediately and unconditionally release Rev. Samson.”
We praise God that the U.S. government is listening to the cries of the persecuted. Please pray for Hkalam Samson's safety!
Will prayer +
Omar is a college student who grew up in a conservative Shia Muslim family. As a book seller, he accepted Christ into his life when he connected with a church organizing at a book tent in 2019. Though initially accepted by his immediate family, one of his family members was a leader in a terrorist group and threatened to kill him. Omar was even beaten while distributing Bibles. He fled town, but needed help from ICC to start a new life and worship in safety. Please continue to pray for Omar as he bravely shares the Gospel!
Thanking you Lord Jesus for unshaken faith of persiguted brother Thanking for the help rendered by ICC We Pray to give victory over the enyme Let your power. Glory and love manifested in the brother's Life and ICC mission meet all their needs meraculasly Amen
Praying for Omar
Christ Jesus will strengthen him amen