Persecution of Christians

On today's episode of This is the Day, Mark Riedemann and Edward Clancy came on to talk about the very serious problem of religious persecution against Christians (especially Christians in the Middle East).

The problem of religious persecution is one that is frequently ignored by those of us who are blessed with religious freedom. We are often unaware of the degree to which Christians are persecuted throughout the world. According to Mark, over 70% of the acts of religious persecution around the world are against Christians.



 

Edward Clancy is the Director of Outreach and Evangelization for Aid to the Church in Need, based in Brooklyn, NY. Mark Riedemann is the host of Where God Weeps, a series which places the suffering Church in focus and a project of Aid to the Church in Need. You can watch Where God Weeps on CatholicTV throughout the week.

Learn more about the persecution of Christians around the world and how you can stand in solidarity with them and offer aid by checking out Aid to the Church in Need.

Suffering Christians in Africa, the Middle East, and Haiti Discussed on Program on CatholicTV Throughout February

Throughout February, CatholicTV will air special episodes of a program called “Where God Weeps”. In February, Where God Weeps consists of interviews of Catholic Bishops testifying to the suffering Church in their home countries.

www.CatholicTV.com/Catholic-news-third-world also has over 50 episodes of Where God Weeps and all may be viewed free of charge without advertising. These episodes show the plight of Christians in countries like Iraq, where many Christians have been killed even at Churches.

CatholicTV.com visitors may watch episodes about Christians in Iran, China, Pakistan and other countries. In China, Catholic bishops were recently forced to attend conferences organized by the Chinese government. According to Catholic News Agency, “several Chinese Catholic sources have reported bishops being kidnapped or arrested, in order to compel their participation.”

Pakistan has been in the world news recently because of its anti-blasphemy laws, including a recent case where a 17-year old student was jailed for something he “scribbled on an exam paper” according to Bede Sheppard, senior children’s rights researcher at Human Rights Watch.

The countries focused on in February episodes of Where God Weeps include Lebanon, where a new government is being formed after a recent collapse. On one episode airing in February, Bishop Bechara Rai of Jbeil, Lebanon discusses some of the unique struggles of Christians in Lebanon, which is 40% Christian.

Also interviewed on Where God Weeps in February will be Bishop Gabriel Ababio Mante from Ghana, Bishop Abraham Desta from Ethiopia, and Bishop Joseph Lafontant from Haiti.

Where God Weeps airs each week at the following times (Eastern) at CatholicTV.com and on CatholicTV cable outlets: Monday 5 a.m. Tuesday 1 a.m. Wednesday 8:30 p.m. and Thursday noon.