Pope Francis Condemns Christian Persecution

Pope Francis, in a letter to the church community on Friday in Jordan, slammed the “atrocious, inhuman and inexplicable” persecution of Christians and minorities, urging the international community not to remain silent. This is contained in a message carried by the Secretary General of the Italian Bishops Conference (CEI), Nunzio Galantino, to the ecclesiastical community in Jordan, a country that has taken in a large number of Syrian and Iraqi refugees. “They are the martyrs of today, humiliated and discriminated against for their loyalty to the Gospel.’’ The Pontiff renewed his “solidarity appeal” on behalf “of a Church that does not forget and does not abandon her children exiled on account of their faith. “They know that we raise a daily prayer for them, together with gratitude for the testimony that they offer us.’’ Francis also said his thought goes to the communities that took in these brothers and sisters, not looking the other way He told the Catholics of Jordan “You have announced the resurrection of Christ with the sharing of sorrow and the solidarity that you have provided to the hundreds of thousands of refugees. He said they did this “With your bowing to their suffering, which can stifle hope; and with your fraternal service, which also illuminates such dark moments of existence.’’