November 14, 2013 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1659 around the world because of their belief in from Hama was killed by a sniper while help- We can also make people aware of the Jesus Christ—one million already in this ing the wounded. Similarly tragic violence great suffering of our brothers and sisters still young century. against believers is now commonplace. with all the means at our disposal. Our col- That threat to religious believers is grow- Just as Syrian Christians have suffered umns, our blogs, our speeches, and our pas- ing. The Pew Research Center reports that 75 from the war raging in their land, the war in toral letters can reference the subject. We percent of the world’s population ‘‘lives in Iraq has devastated that ancient Christian can ask our pastors to preach on it, and to countries where governments, social groups, community in that country as well. As stimulate study sessions or activist groups or individuals restrict people’s ability to Bishop Shlemon Warduni of Iraq tearfully in their parishes. We can encourage our freely practice their faith.’’ Pew lays out the told us during our spring assembly in 2012, Catholic media to tell the stories of today’s details of this ‘‘rising tide of restrictions on remember, the situation of Christians there new martyrs, unfortunately abundant. Our religion,’’ but we don’t need a report to tell ‘‘became a tragedy of immense proportions good experience defending religious freedom us something we sadly see on the news every after 2003,’’ with many religious and lay here at home shows that, when we turn our day. faithful tortured and killed. minds to an issue, we can put it on the map. While Muslims and Christians have long Violent attacks continue to terrorize the Well, it’s time to harness that energy for our lived peacefully side-by-side in Zanzibar, for Iraqi people. Just a little over a year ago the fellow members of the household of faith instance, this past year has seen increasing war’s worst massacre of Iraqi Christians oc- hounded for their beliefs around the world. violence. Catholic churches have been curred in a brutal attack on Our Lady of Sal- We know the importance of supporting or- burned and priests have been shot. In Sep- vation Church in Baghdad, where some 58 be- ganizations such as Aid to the Church in tember one priest was the victim of a hor- lievers were massacred. Those martyred for Need, the Catholic Near East Welfare Asso- rific acid attack. Nigeria has also been the their faith included their parish priest who ciation, Catholic Relief Services, and the So- site of frequent anti-Christian violence, in- died holding a crucifix, forgiving the gunmen ciety for the Propagation of the Faith, who cluding church bombings on our holiest days. and asking him to spare his people. have done heroic work, while among our The situation in India has also been grave, The situations in Syria and Iraq wrench Protestant brothers and sisters groups such particularly after the Orissa massacre of our hearts, but the plight of Christians in as Open Doors make a similar contribution. 2008, where hundreds of Christians were mur- Egypt is no better. This past summer saw Writers such as Nina Shea, Paul Marshall, dered and thousands displaced, and thou- the serious escalation of violence against our John Allen, and Phillip Jenkins here in the sands of homes and some 400 churches were brothers and sisters there, as the ancient United States help keep the issue alive, as torched. Just recently, a Christian couple Coptic Christian community has been tar- does our own Committee on International was recently attacked by an angry mob just geted. Dozens of Coptic churches have been Justice and Peace. because of their faith, their Bibles torn from burned; Christian-owned businesses and ho- Finally, we can insist that our country’s their hands. tels have been attacked; and individual be- leaders make the protection of at-risk Chris- We remember our brothers and sisters in lievers have been murdered. tians abroad a foreign-policy priority for the China, where Catholic bishops and other reli- To take one example, John Allen reports United States. We can also cajole political gious leaders are subject to state supervision that in August, ‘‘hundreds of Muslim ex- leaders to be more attentive to the voices of and imprisonment. Conditions are only get- tremists stormed a school run by Franciscan Christians on the ground, since those Chris- ting worse, as the government closes church- sisters in . Upper Egypt, where they re- tians will certainly feel the consequences of es and subjects members of several faiths to portedly raped two teachers. Three nuns whatever the West does or doesn’t do. As Dr. forced renunciations, so-called re-education, were paraded before the crowd as prisoners of Thomas Farr reminded us at our spring and torture. war.’’ It was only through the intervention meeting a couple summers ago, the protec- Of course, it’s not just Christians who suf- of a Muslim lay teacher that other sisters’ tion of religious freedom abroad, and advo- fer from religious persecution, but believers lives were spared. cacy of oppressed believers, has hardly been in other faiths as well. Much religious perse- We as bishops, as shepherds of one of the a high foreign policy priority for administra- cution is committed by Muslims against most richly blessed communities of faith on tions of either party. other Muslims. Buddhists in Tibet suffer the planet, as pastors who have spoken with In general, my brothers, we can make sup- under government torture and repression. In enthusiastic unity in defense of our own reli- porting the suffering Church a priority—not Myanmar Muslims suffer at the hands of gious freedom, must become advocates and one good cause among others, but a defining Buddhist mobs. All of us share apprehension champions for these Christians whose lives element of our pastoral priorities. As histo- over reports of rising anti-Semitism. literally hang in the balance. rians of this conference know, speaking up But there is no escaping the fact that Pope Francis recently invited us all to an for suffering faithful abroad has been a hall- Christians are singled out in far more places examination of conscience in this regard mark of our soon-to-be-century of public ad- and far more often. during his General Audience on September vocacy of the gospel by the conference of I don’t have to tell anyone in this room 25: bishops in this beloved country we are hon- that our brothers and sisters in the Middle ‘‘When I hear that so many Christians in ored to call our earthly home. East face particular trials. As Patriarch Bar- the world are suffering, am I indifferent, or Protecting religious freedom will be a cen- tholomew of Constantinople has observed, is it as if a member of my own family is suf- tral social and political concern of our time, for Christians in the Middle East, ‘‘even the fering? When I think or hear it said that and we American bishops already have made simple admission of Christian identity places many Christians are persecuted and give very important contributions to carrying it the very existence of [the] faithful in daily their lives for their faith, does this touch my forward. Now we are being beckoned—by his- threat . Exceptionally extreme and ex- heart or does it not reach me? Am I open to tory, by Pope Francis, by the force of our pansive occurrences of violence and persecu- that brother or that sister in my family own logic and the ecclesiology of com- tion against Christians cannot leave the rest who’s giving his or her life for Jesus Christ? munion—to extend those efforts to the dra- of us—who are blessed to live peacefully and Do we pray for one another’? How many of matic front lines of this battle, where Chris- in some sense of security—indifferent and in- you pray for Christians who are persecuted? tians are paying for their fidelity with their active.’’ How many? Everyone respond in his own lives. As the Council reminded us, we are The humanitarian catastrophe that con- heart. It’s important to look beyond one’s bishops not only for our dioceses, not only tinues to unfold in Syria has been particu- own fence, to feel oneself part of the Church, for our nation, but for the Church universal. larly close to our hearts these past few of one family of God!’’ May all the blessed martyrs, ancient and months. We’ve prayed for and stood in soli- I am convinced that we have to answer new, pray for us, as we try to be confessors darity with the Church and the people of those questions of Pope Francis, not merely of the faith. Syria, and with Pope Francis and the bishops as individual believers, but collectively as a Praise be Jesus Christ! of the Middle East in their call for peace. body of bishops. f It’s no surprise that this violent and cha- So you ask me, what can we do? Without otic situation has bred even more religious any pretense of being exhaustive, here are PERSONAL EXPLANATION persecution. Of course we’re all familiar with some ideas I’d like to lay before you, with a Syria’s venerable history as the place from nod to John Allen and his recent compelling which our faith spread to the rest of the work on this topic.