Tweet
WORLD RELIGIOUS LEADERS URGE UNITY IN STOPPING ISLAMIC STATE
Washington Times
Sept 10 2014
Urge defense of religion's birthplace
Meredith Somers - The Washington Times - Tuesday, September 9, 2014
The Islamic State's genocide of Christians will have lasting effects
not only on the Middle East's culture but on world peace, a panel of
Christian leaders and religious freedom advocates warned Tuesday.
At the inaugural Summit for Middle East Christians, bishops and
scholars from around the world called for a global effort to stop
the extermination of Christianity from where its roots were planted
2,000 years ago.
"For far too long the world has stood there watching these atrocities
without lifting a finger while the local government has proved to be
utterly incapable of saving the lives of its citizens," said Patriarch
Mar Bechara Boutros Cardinal Rai, Maronite patriarch of Antioch and
all the East.
"Religious freedom is not just an American right, it's a universal
right," Cardinal Patriarch Rai said. "Religious freedom is an essential
part of human dignity, and without it, the world cannot know peace."
President Obama is set to address the nation Wednesday night on how
his administration will address the Islamic State, which calls the
large swaths of Iraq and Syria it controls an Islamic "caliphate." The
terrorist group has used beheadings and mass murders to terrorize
the region and has forced Christians to convert to Islam or face death.
Religious leaders at Tuesday's summit at the National Press Club in
Washington said it's the international community's responsibility to
stop religious persecution.
"It's a global evil, and, as such, we have to address the issue
globally," said Aram I Keshishian, Catholicos of the Holy See of
Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church. "All nations, all religions,
have an important role to play."
The persecution of Middle Eastern Christians isn't only the problem of
the Middle East, Catholicos Aram I said, adding that he wants to see
a "comprehensive global strategy" that includes economic, political,
diplomatic and even military short- and long-term goals.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/sep/9/world-religious-leaders-urge-unity-in-stopping-isl/
Washington Times
Sept 10 2014
Urge defense of religion's birthplace
Meredith Somers - The Washington Times - Tuesday, September 9, 2014
The Islamic State's genocide of Christians will have lasting effects
not only on the Middle East's culture but on world peace, a panel of
Christian leaders and religious freedom advocates warned Tuesday.
At the inaugural Summit for Middle East Christians, bishops and
scholars from around the world called for a global effort to stop
the extermination of Christianity from where its roots were planted
2,000 years ago.
"For far too long the world has stood there watching these atrocities
without lifting a finger while the local government has proved to be
utterly incapable of saving the lives of its citizens," said Patriarch
Mar Bechara Boutros Cardinal Rai, Maronite patriarch of Antioch and
all the East.
"Religious freedom is not just an American right, it's a universal
right," Cardinal Patriarch Rai said. "Religious freedom is an essential
part of human dignity, and without it, the world cannot know peace."
President Obama is set to address the nation Wednesday night on how
his administration will address the Islamic State, which calls the
large swaths of Iraq and Syria it controls an Islamic "caliphate." The
terrorist group has used beheadings and mass murders to terrorize
the region and has forced Christians to convert to Islam or face death.
Religious leaders at Tuesday's summit at the National Press Club in
Washington said it's the international community's responsibility to
stop religious persecution.
"It's a global evil, and, as such, we have to address the issue
globally," said Aram I Keshishian, Catholicos of the Holy See of
Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church. "All nations, all religions,
have an important role to play."
The persecution of Middle Eastern Christians isn't only the problem of
the Middle East, Catholicos Aram I said, adding that he wants to see
a "comprehensive global strategy" that includes economic, political,
diplomatic and even military short- and long-term goals.
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2014/sep/9/world-religious-leaders-urge-unity-in-stopping-isl/