Cleric Warns against Imminent Extinction of Christians
Cleric Warns against Imminent Extinction of Christians
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby has warned against a gradual wipe out of Christians in the Middle East.
The cleric expressed his concern over the weekend while writing for The Telegraph, before a special service at Westminster Abbey.
Condemning the ill treatment of those at the Middle East, Welby said, “Christians face daily the threat of violence, murder, intimidation, prejudice and poverty.
“In the last few years, they have been slaughtered by so-called Islamic State, and in many countries they find themselves squeezed between the upper and lower millstones of pressure on them within society and of conflicts that afflict the region.
“Many have left. Hundreds of thousands have been forced from their homes. Many have been killed, enslaved and persecuted or forcibly converted. Even those who remain ask the question, ‘why stay?’”
Welby further explained that the Christian population in Iraq has been reduced to half compared to that of 2003. Since then, many churches have been razed.
The Church of England leader stated that, “Across the region, Christian communities that were the foundation of the universal Church now face the threat of imminent extinction.
“We must support and help them in every way we can. Where they wish to leave, they will be refugees in need of asylum.
“Where, courageously and by the grace of God, they choose to remain, they need publicity and external, visible support,” he implored.
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