Today we observe a terrifying picture: the two-thousand year Christian presence in the Middle East and Africa is rapidly disappearing. According to figures by the Centre for the Study of World Christianity, in 2016 alone there were killed 90 thousand Christians, that is, every six minutes a Christian dies for his faith. Between half a million and six hundred thousand Christians are enduring harassment and restrictions in confessing their faith. This means that the world community has been unable to learn the lessons of the destructive wars of the twentieth century and, as before, places political interests above fundamental human rights.
In this regard the Billy Graham Evangelical Association organized the World Summit of Christian Leaders in Defense of Persecuted Christians. About a thousand delegates from more than 150 countries attended the summit on May 10-13 in Washington. The reason for such a large event was persecution of Christians of the Middle East, Africa and other regions of the world. In scale, these unprecedented in modern history persecutions can be compared only with the persecution of Christians in the first centuries of the Nativity of Christ and the repression against Christians carried out by atheistic authorities in the 20th century. The World Summit of Christian Leaders in Defense of Persecuted Christians was to become a platform for a comprehensive discussion of this situation with the aim of changing it for the better.
The joint declaration of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill also states: “Our gaze must firstly turn to those regions of the world where Christians are victims of persecution. In many countries of the Middle East and North Africa whole families, villages and cities of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being completely exterminated. Their churches are being barbarously ravaged and looted, their sacred objects profaned, their monuments destroyed. It is with pain that we call to mind the situation in Syria, Iraq and other countries of the Middle East, and the massive exodus of Christians from the land in which our faith was first disseminated and in which they have lived since the time of the Apostles, together with other religious communities.”
Thus, we see high-ranking representatives of all major Christian denominations united in their aspiration to end the humanitarian disaster and bring peace to the region that is the cradle of Christianity.
"I believe that his (the patriarch Kirill's) support to the Syrian government will help to protect the lives of Christians. I said the same thing at a meeting with Vladimir Putin," – said Billy Graham in his speech after the meeting with the Primate of Russian Orthodox Church on on October 30, 2015.
Indeed, the Moscow Patriarchate continually appeals to the international community to defend the suffering Christians of the Middle East. As far back as 2011 the Russian Orthodox Church held an international conference in Moscow entitled ‘Freedom of Religion: The Problem of Discrimination and Persecution of Christians.’ Gathered at this forum were religious figures and experts from all over the world. They discussed instances of the persecution of Christians and expressed concern at the situation which had arisen.
Russian Orthodox Church regularly raises the issue of the persecution of Christ’s followers at international events. The Moscow Patriarchate insists that these topics be included in the final documents of conferences and forums. They discuss the plight of believers in the Middle East with political leaders and representatives of the diplomatic community of various countries of the world. "In recent years, also thanks to the joint efforts of the Christian Churches and countries, we have managed to achieve the recognition at the international level of the persecution of Christians in the Middle East" – the Chairman of the Moscow patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Hilarion pointed out in his presentation at the 5th European Catholic-Orthodox Forum in January this year.
For example, on March 7, 2017, at the Patriarchal residence in St Daniel’s Monastery, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with Dr. Mohammed Abdul Sattar al-Sayeed, Minister of Awqaf of the Syrian Arab Republic.
Dr. al-Sayeed conveyed to the Primate of the Russian Church greetings from Patriarch John X of Antioch and emphasized that Muslims in Syria had very close relationships with the faithful of the Orthodox Church of Antioch. He also told about the activities of his ministry whose task is to promote cooperation between the state and the religious communities in Syria and, among other things, to address the needs of Christians. "I want to say that Syria is inseparable from Christianity, it is the cradle of the Christian religion," – said the Syrian Minister while expressing his conviction that the terrorists' attempts to expel Christians from Syria are aimed at destroying it as a state, since "it were Christians and Muslims who have built a civilization there together, hand in hand".
In his turn, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has thanked Russia's Foreign Ministry and other authorities for protecting Syrians from extermination. "The Russian counter-terrorism operation [in Syria] has given Christians a hope. The leaders of the Middle Eastern Churches have more than once attested in public and asked Russia to stand up for Christians in Syria and Iraq," – he said at the Foreign Ministry's Reception House on April 16 this year. The Russian Orthodox Church continues to support the Church of Antioch, whose center has been historically located in Damascus, the patriarch said. "Including materially, we assist in organizing humanitarian convoys," he said.
His Holiness also noted that global community is still paying no attention to the persecutions of Christians in a number of countries, particularly in Africa. Clashes between Church of Alexandria followers and the Muslim population have continued for many years, Patriarch Kirill said with grief in his heart. "In Nigeria, whole settlements of Christians are being slaughtered and hundreds of churches burned down. But the world is silent as if nothing is happening," – the Russian Church leader stressed in his speech. The authorities in Sudan, Myanmar and Pakistan are also condoning the persecution of Christians in their countries, he said.
And this means that there is a good scope of work in which inter-Christian cooperation is to be shown further.
In this regard the Billy Graham Evangelical Association organized the World Summit of Christian Leaders in Defense of Persecuted Christians. About a thousand delegates from more than 150 countries attended the summit on May 10-13 in Washington. The reason for such a large event was persecution of Christians of the Middle East, Africa and other regions of the world. In scale, these unprecedented in modern history persecutions can be compared only with the persecution of Christians in the first centuries of the Nativity of Christ and the repression against Christians carried out by atheistic authorities in the 20th century. The World Summit of Christian Leaders in Defense of Persecuted Christians was to become a platform for a comprehensive discussion of this situation with the aim of changing it for the better.
The joint declaration of Pope Francis and Patriarch Kirill also states: “Our gaze must firstly turn to those regions of the world where Christians are victims of persecution. In many countries of the Middle East and North Africa whole families, villages and cities of our brothers and sisters in Christ are being completely exterminated. Their churches are being barbarously ravaged and looted, their sacred objects profaned, their monuments destroyed. It is with pain that we call to mind the situation in Syria, Iraq and other countries of the Middle East, and the massive exodus of Christians from the land in which our faith was first disseminated and in which they have lived since the time of the Apostles, together with other religious communities.”
Thus, we see high-ranking representatives of all major Christian denominations united in their aspiration to end the humanitarian disaster and bring peace to the region that is the cradle of Christianity.
"I believe that his (the patriarch Kirill's) support to the Syrian government will help to protect the lives of Christians. I said the same thing at a meeting with Vladimir Putin," – said Billy Graham in his speech after the meeting with the Primate of Russian Orthodox Church on on October 30, 2015.
Indeed, the Moscow Patriarchate continually appeals to the international community to defend the suffering Christians of the Middle East. As far back as 2011 the Russian Orthodox Church held an international conference in Moscow entitled ‘Freedom of Religion: The Problem of Discrimination and Persecution of Christians.’ Gathered at this forum were religious figures and experts from all over the world. They discussed instances of the persecution of Christians and expressed concern at the situation which had arisen.
Russian Orthodox Church regularly raises the issue of the persecution of Christ’s followers at international events. The Moscow Patriarchate insists that these topics be included in the final documents of conferences and forums. They discuss the plight of believers in the Middle East with political leaders and representatives of the diplomatic community of various countries of the world. "In recent years, also thanks to the joint efforts of the Christian Churches and countries, we have managed to achieve the recognition at the international level of the persecution of Christians in the Middle East" – the Chairman of the Moscow patriarchate Department for External Church Relations Metropolitan Hilarion pointed out in his presentation at the 5th European Catholic-Orthodox Forum in January this year.
For example, on March 7, 2017, at the Patriarchal residence in St Daniel’s Monastery, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia met with Dr. Mohammed Abdul Sattar al-Sayeed, Minister of Awqaf of the Syrian Arab Republic.
Dr. al-Sayeed conveyed to the Primate of the Russian Church greetings from Patriarch John X of Antioch and emphasized that Muslims in Syria had very close relationships with the faithful of the Orthodox Church of Antioch. He also told about the activities of his ministry whose task is to promote cooperation between the state and the religious communities in Syria and, among other things, to address the needs of Christians. "I want to say that Syria is inseparable from Christianity, it is the cradle of the Christian religion," – said the Syrian Minister while expressing his conviction that the terrorists' attempts to expel Christians from Syria are aimed at destroying it as a state, since "it were Christians and Muslims who have built a civilization there together, hand in hand".
In his turn, Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia has thanked Russia's Foreign Ministry and other authorities for protecting Syrians from extermination. "The Russian counter-terrorism operation [in Syria] has given Christians a hope. The leaders of the Middle Eastern Churches have more than once attested in public and asked Russia to stand up for Christians in Syria and Iraq," – he said at the Foreign Ministry's Reception House on April 16 this year. The Russian Orthodox Church continues to support the Church of Antioch, whose center has been historically located in Damascus, the patriarch said. "Including materially, we assist in organizing humanitarian convoys," he said.
His Holiness also noted that global community is still paying no attention to the persecutions of Christians in a number of countries, particularly in Africa. Clashes between Church of Alexandria followers and the Muslim population have continued for many years, Patriarch Kirill said with grief in his heart. "In Nigeria, whole settlements of Christians are being slaughtered and hundreds of churches burned down. But the world is silent as if nothing is happening," – the Russian Church leader stressed in his speech. The authorities in Sudan, Myanmar and Pakistan are also condoning the persecution of Christians in their countries, he said.
And this means that there is a good scope of work in which inter-Christian cooperation is to be shown further.
