December 23rd, 2009 by Zack

Nina Shea at National Review Online reports that the Vatican is planning a special synod of Roman Catholic bishops next October to discuss the problem of Christian flight from the region and to promote greater ecumenical unity in the Middle East.  She argues that many Christian communities in the region are forced into social isolation and that the fleeing of Christians signals the disappearance of religious pluralism and the rise of a wholly Islamicized Middle East for the first time in history.  Lastly, she calls on readers to become more informed about the situation and to aid the work of three Christian leaders in particular:  Habib Malik, a Lebanese scholar and lay Roman Catholic, Bishop Thomas of Egypt’s Coptic Orthodox Church, and Canon Andrew White, an Anglican priest in Iraq. 

Meanwhile, The New York Times reports on the numerous threats against Iraqi Christians warning to not celebrate Christmas. According to the article, “Christians said they were as fearful as they have been since 2006, when the outbreak of sectarian warfare forced many to leave their neighborhoods for months at a time.”

Posted in Egypt, Human Rights, Iraq, Lebanon, Public Opinion, Sectarianism |