Fr. Charles Irvin, Diocese of Lansing at 402-A E. Madison Street, DeWitt, MI 48820 US - Vanishing Christians of the Middle East

Spotlight On Vanishing Christians Of The Middle East May. 17 (CWNews.com) The Vatican's top foreign-policy official called attention to the "particularly unhappy" situation of Christians in the Middle East, in a May 17 talk to the Pontifical Council for Migrants. Archbishop Giovanni Lajolo, the Secretary for Relations with States, observed that the Christian presence in the Middle East has been "considerably reduced" over the past 30 years. Citing the statistics compiled annually by the Vatican through apostolic nuncios, he noted that in Iran the Catholic population has today is one-tenth what it was in 1973, while in Iraq it is one-third. In Syria the Catholic presence has dropped from 2.6% of the whole population to just 1%; in Israel and the Palestinian territories it has fallen from 1.9% to 1%. In some countries in the region, many Christians are living only temporarily, Archbishop Lajolo observed. But in other nations the Christian population has very long standing. He cited in particular the example of Iraq, where an ancient Christian community, predating the arrival of Islam, is now being drastically reduced by emigration. The Vatican's "foreign minister" also remarked that in many countries where Islam is the dominant religion, Christians frequently marry Muslims, and then find their legal rights severely attenuated in the face of Islamic law. "The protection of Christians in Islamic-majority countries" is one of the most delicate problems facing the Church, Archbishop Lajolo said, seizing the theme of this week's meeting for the Pontifical Council for Migrants. He reported that the exodus of Christians from the region is aggravated by the number of families who may still be disposed to "leave their homeland, when their fundamental rights are no longer adequately protected." In the face of these problems, the archbishop said, the Church must act boldly, not retreating, and "take clear and courageous positions to affirm the Christian identity." That bold strategy is necessary, he continued, because "we know very well that radical Islam exploits anything that it interprets as a sign of weakness." Archbishop Lajolo drew a distinction between the demand for religious freedom and the continuation of inter-religious dialogue. That dialogue, he explained, should be pursued with religious leaders, not with the government-- "even if these initiatives can be facilitated by responsible political leaders." In the political domain, he continued, it is essential to build up the understanding of separation between religion and government-- an understanding that is not broadly accepted in the Middle East. The Vatican official argued that Western nations and international organizations should join in a campaign to persuade Islamic nations of the need to recognize fundamental human rights, including the rights of religious minorities and the religious freedom of all citizens.

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