{"id":1985,"date":"2013-01-11T09:03:00","date_gmt":"2013-01-11T09:03:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.catholicnewsagency.com\/news\/religious-leaders-urged-to-fight-global-persecution\/"},"modified":"2013-01-11T09:03:00","modified_gmt":"2013-01-11T09:03:00","slug":"religious-leaders-urged-to-fight-global-persecution","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.patheos.com\/blogs\/catholicnews\/2013\/01\/religious-leaders-urged-to-fight-global-persecution\/","title":{"rendered":"Religious leaders urged to fight global persecution"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<\/head>

Washington D.C., Jan 11, 2013 \/ 02:03 am (CNA\/EWTN News<\/a>).- Religious leaders in America are being called upon by a U.S. congressman to advocate for those across the globe who are oppressed for their faith.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cWe in the West must speak out on behalf of the persecuted church around the world,\u201d said Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.) in a Jan. 9 letter to nearly 300 Protestant and Catholic leaders.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cIf the faith community in the West isn\u2019t engaged, are we surprised when government leaders turn a blind eye to matters of religious freedom?\u201d he asked.<\/p>\n

\tA long-time advocate of religious liberty, Wolf authored the International Religious Freedom Act in 1998 and currently co-chairs the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission.
\n\t\u00a0
\n\tIn his recent letter, he said that he plans to reintroduce a bill in the new Congress to create a special envoy in the State Department to advocate on behalf of persecuted religious minorities in the Middle East and South Central Asia.<\/p>\n

\tWhile such legislation passed the House of Representatives with bipartisan support over a year and a half ago, it stalled in the Senate due to opposition from the State Department and Senate Foreign Relations Committee chair John Kerry, who refused to hold a hearing on the legislation, he said.<\/p>\n

\tWhile he acknowledged that a special envoy will not \u201csingle-handedly solve the problem,\u201d Wolf stressed that it would be very helpful to have a high-level official focusing exclusively on religious minorities.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/p>\n

\t\u201cFurthermore, to do nothing is simply not an option,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\tCalling American religious leaders to action, the congressman decried the \u201cfear of persecution and outright violence or even death\u201d that overshadows the Christmas season for believers in much of the world.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cEvery day, around the world, men and women of faith are imprisoned, beaten, detained, tortured and even killed,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\tWhile the faithful have always faced oppression, he explained, there is currently \u201ca historic exodus of Christians from the Middle East\u201d underway, while \u201cthe silence of many in the West is deafening.\u201d \u00a0<\/p>\n

\tWolf observed that the \u201conce vibrant communities\u201d of Jews in the region have been severely depleted. While Iraq was once home to some 150,000 Jews, today there are fewer than 10, he said.<\/p>\n

\tChristianity may face a similar fate, he warned, as entire communities are fleeing from Egypt, Iraq and other countries in the region, drastically reducing their numbers in some areas.<\/p>\n

\tThis exodus is particularly troubling, the congressman said, because \u201c(t)he Middle East is the very cradle of Christendom,\u201d a part of the history relayed in Scripture.<\/p>\n

\tHowever, the oppression of believers is not limited to the Middle East, he explained, noting that \u201cChristians are targeted throughout the world in countries like China, Vietnam and Pakistan.\u201d<\/p>\n

\tArguing that the silence of good people is what allows atrocities such as the Holocaust to occur, Wolf called on religious leaders in the West to speak up for their persecuted brothers and sisters, overcoming indifference, lack of awareness and pressure to be politically correct.<\/p>\n

\tHe encouraged the religious leaders, working within their own spheres of influence, to \u201craise the profile of this issue\u201d through sermons, writings or media interviews.<\/p>\n

\t\u201cThe Church globally is under assault,\u201d he stressed, and the proper response is not simply \u201cdrowning out the cries for help from our brothers and sisters.\u201d<\/p>\n

\n<\/a>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Washington D.C., Jan 11, 2013 \/ 02:03 am (CNA\/EWTN News).- Religious leaders in America are being called upon by a U.S. congressman to advocate for those across the globe who are oppressed for their faith.<\/p>\n

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