Persecution of Christians in the modern world: death every five minutes

Every day, 13 Christians around the world are killed because of their faith.

Every day, 12 churches or other Christian buildings are attacked.

And every day, 12 Christians are unjustly arrested or imprisoned, and 5 more are kidnapped.

That's according to the 2022 World Watch List report, Open Doors' latest annual report on the 50 countries where Christians are most persecuted for following Jesus.

“You might think [the list] is about oppression... But [the list] is really about resilience,” said David Kerry, president and CEO of Open Doors USA, introducing the report released today.

“The number of God’s people suffering must mean that the Church is dying, that Christians are silent, losing faith and turning away from each other,” he said. “But that's not what's happening. Instead, in living color, we see the words of God recorded in the book of the prophet Isaiah: “I will make a way in the desert, rivers in the wilderness (Isaiah 43:19).”

The countries listed count 309 million Christians living in places with very high or extreme levels of persecution, up from 260 million on last year's list.

Another 31 million could be added from 24 countries that are not among the 50 worst, such as Cuba, Sri Lanka and the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Including these countries would clearly show that one in eight Christians worldwide is persecuted. This includes 1 in 6 believers in Africa and 2 in 5 in Asia.

Last year, 45 countries scored high enough on Open Doors' 84-question matrix to register "very high" levels of persecution. This year, for the first time in 29 years of tracking, 50 countries scored this high, as did four other countries not included in the list.

Open Doors identified three main trends that contributed to last year's growth:

• “COVID-19 has acted as a catalyst for religious persecution through discrimination in aid distribution, forced conversions, and as a justification for increased surveillance and censorship.”
• “Extremist attacks have opportunistically spread further across sub-Saharan Africa, from Nigeria and Cameroon to Burkina Faso, Mali and beyond.”
• “Chinese censorship systems continue to proliferate in countries with emerging surveillance systems.”

Open Doors has been monitoring the persecution of Christians around the world since 1992. North Korea has been ranked No. 1 for 20 years, since 2002, when the watch list began.

The 2022 Report tracks the period from November 1, 2022 to October 31, 2022, and is compiled from on-the-ground reporting by Open Doors workers in more than 60 countries around the world.

The purpose of the annual ranking, which charts how other countries are now matching North Korea's level of persecution, is to guide prayer and strive for more targeted expressions of condemnation, showing persecuted believers that they are not forgotten.

Where are Christians most persecuted today?

This year, the top ten worst stalkers have remained virtually unchanged. After North Korea is Afghanistan, followed by Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Eritrea, Yemen, Iran, Nigeria and India.

Nigeria entered the top ten for the first time after peaking on the Open Doors violence metric. The country with the largest Christian population in Africa ranks 9th overall, but is second only to Pakistan in terms of violence, and ranks 1st in the number of Christians killed for reasons related to their faith.

Sudan dropped out of the top ten for the first time in six years after abolishing the death penalty for apostasy and guaranteeing, at least on paper, religious freedom in its new constitution after three decades of Islamic law. However, the country remains 13th on the list because, as Open Doors researchers note, Muslim Christians still face attacks, ostracism and discrimination from their families and communities, while Christian women face sexual abuse violence.

Where is it hardest to follow Jesus: 1. North Korea 2. Afghanistan 3. Somalia 4. Libya 5. Pakistan 6. Eritrea 7. Yemen 8. Iran 9. Nigeria 10. India

India remained in the top ten for the third year in a row as it "continued to increase violence against religious minorities due to government-sanctioned Hindu extremism."

Meanwhile, China entered the top 20 for the first time in a decade thanks to “persistent and increasing surveillance and censorship of Christians and other religious minorities.”

From these 50 countries:

• 12 have “extreme” levels of harassment and 38 have “very high” levels of harassment. Another 4 countries not included in the top 50 have a “very high” level: Cuba, Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates and Niger.
• 19 are in Africa (6 in North Africa), 14 in Asia, 10 in the Middle East, 5 in Central Asia, and 2 in Latin America.
• 34 have Islam as their main religion, 4 have Buddhism, 2 have Hinduism, 1 have atheism, 1 have agnosticism, 10 have Christianity.

Four new countries have been added to the 2022 list: Mexico (No. 37), Democratic Republic of the Congo (No. 40), Mozambique (No. 45) and Comoros (No. 50).

Mozambique rose 21 places (from No. 66) "due to violence from extremist Islam in the northern province of Cabo Delgado." The Democratic Republic of Congo rose 17 places (from No. 57) "mainly due to attacks on Christians by the Islamist group ADF." Mexico rose 15 places (from No. 52) due to increased violence and discrimination against Christians by drug traffickers, gangs and indigenous communities.

Four countries dropped from this list: Sri Lanka (former No. 30), Russia (former No. 46), United Arab Emirates (former No. 47) and Niger (former No. 50).

Where Christians face the most violence: 1. Pakistan 2. Nigeria 3. Democratic Republic of Congo 4. Mozambique 5. Cameroon 6. Central African Republic 7. India 8. Mali 9. South Sudan 10. Ethiopia

Open Doors reporting period: November 2022 - October 2020

Other big changes in the ranking: Colombia rose 11 places, from 41st to 30th, due to violence by guerrillas, criminal gangs and indigenous communities, as well as rising secular intolerance. Turkey rose 11 places, from 36th to 25th, as violence against Christians increased. And Bangladesh rose seven places, from 38th to 31st, due to attacks on Christian converts among Rohingya refugees.

However, other types of harassment may outweigh violence in the index [as explained below]. For example, the Central African Republic fell 10 places, from 25th to 35th, but violence against Christians there remains extreme. And Kenya fell six places, from 43rd to 49th, although the number of attacks there has “increased significantly.”

Meanwhile, South Sudan is among the top 10 most violent countries tracked by Open Doors (9th) but does not even make the top 50 list of violent offenders (69th).

For the list's 25th anniversary in 2022, Open Doors published an analysis of harassment trends over the past quarter century. The top 10 violators during this period: North Korea, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Somalia, Afghanistan, Maldives, Yemen, Sudan, Vietnam and China.

Five countries appear in the top ten in both the 25-year list and in 2022, a sign of stability in persecution, Open Doors noted.

How are Christians persecuted in these countries?

Open Doors tracks harassment across six categories, including social and government pressures on individuals, families and communities, with a special focus on women.

However, when violence is isolated as a category, the top ten performers change dramatically - leaving only Pakistan, Nigeria and India. In fact, 20 countries are currently deadlier to Christians than North Korea.

The 2022 report raised the number of reported martyrdoms worldwide to 4,761, up 60 percent from the 2,983 deaths reported a year earlier and higher than the 4,305 deaths noted in the 2022 report. (Open Doors is known to take more conservative estimates than other groups, which often count 100,000 martyrdoms per year.)

9 out of 10 Christians killed for their faith were in Africa, the rest in Asia. Nigeria leads the world with 3,530 martyrs confirmed by Open Doors for its 2022 list.

The number of Christian abductions has risen to 1,710, up from 1,052 last year when the category was first tracked by Open Doors. Nigeria topped the list with 990.

China is the top offender in the other two previously tracked categories.

Beijing has arrested, jailed or detained without charge 1,147 Christians on religious grounds, out of 4,277 worldwide. The latest figure for the Open Doors category is up from 3,711 last year and 3,150 in 2022.

Meanwhile, the number of attacks and forced closures of churches worldwide was 4,488. In last year's report, the figure jumped from 1,847 to 9,488, with 5,576 in China alone.

Open Doors warned that in some countries the above violations are very difficult to accurately document. In these cases, round numbers are presented, always biased towards conservative estimates. Her research is certified and reviewed by the International Institute for Religious Freedom, a network of the World Evangelical Alliance based in Germany.

Why are Christians persecuted in these countries?

The underlying causes vary from country to country, and better understanding the differences can help Christians in other countries pray and advocate more effectively for their oppressed brothers and sisters in Christ.

For example, although Afghanistan is the world's second worst persecutor and is officially a Muslim nation, according to Open Doors research, the main motive for persecution there is not Islamic extremism, but ethnic antagonism, or what the report calls “clan persecution.”

The Open Doors study categorizes the primary sources of Christian persecution into eight groups:

Islamic persecution (29 countries): This is the primary source of persecution of Christians in more than half of the countries on the list, including 5 of the 12 where Christians face “extreme” levels: Libya (No. 4), Pakistan (No. 5) , Yemen (No. 7), Iran (No., and Syria (No. 12). Most are officially Muslim nations or have a Muslim majority; however, 7 of them actually have a Christian majority: Nigeria (No. 9), Central African Republic (No. 35), Ethiopia (No. 36), Democratic Republic of the Congo (No. 40), Cameroon (No. 42), Mozambique (No. 45) and Kenya (No. 49).

Clan Oppression (7 countries): This is the main source of persecution of Christians in Afghanistan (No. 2), Somalia (No. 3), Laos (No. 22), Qatar (No. 29), Colombia (No. 30), Nepal (No. 34) and Oman (No. 44).

Dictator Paranoia (5 countries): This is the main source of persecution of Christians in five countries, mostly in Muslim-majority Central Asia: Uzbekistan (No. 21), Turkmenistan (No. 23), Tajikistan (No. 33), Brunei (No. 39) and Kazakhstan (No. 41).

Religious Nationalism (3 countries): This is the main source of persecution of Christians in three Asian countries. Christians are primarily persecuted by Hindu nationalists in India (No. 10), as well as by Buddhist nationalists in Myanmar (No. 18) and Bhutan (No. 43).

Communist and Post-Communist Persecution (3 Countries): This is the primary source of persecution of Christians in three countries, all in Asia: North Korea (No. 1), China (No. 17), and Vietnam (No. 19).

Christian sectarian protectionism (2 countries): This is the main source of persecution of Christians in Eritrea (#6) and Ethiopia (#36).

Organized Crime and Corruption (1 country): This is the main source of persecution of Christians in Mexico (#37).

Secular Intolerance (0 countries): Open Doors tracks this source of persecution, but it is not a major source in any of the 50 countries listed.

What are the main trends in the persecution of Christians?

Open Doors has identified four new or ongoing trends in why and how Christians have been persecuted for their faith in the past year.

First, the pandemic has opened a new avenue for persecution. Open Doors has documented discrimination against Christians in aid distribution in Vietnam, Malaysia, Nigeria, Ethiopia and the Middle East.

In India, where more than 100,000 Christians have received assistance from Open Doors partners, 80% of the Christians assisted had previously “been kicked out of food distribution sites. Some walked many miles and hid their Christian identity in order to obtain food elsewhere,” the researchers note. Open Doors has also collected reports of “Christians in rural areas being denied help” in Myanmar, Nepal, Vietnam, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Central Asia, Malaysia, North Africa, Yemen and Sudan. “Sometimes this refusal came from government officials, but more often it came from village heads, committees or other local leaders.”

Public health lockdowns also increased the vulnerability of many people of faith. “Christians who abandon the majority faith to follow Christ know that they risk losing all support from spouses, families, tribes and communities, as well as from local and national authorities,” the researchers note. “If they lose income due to COVID-19, they cannot rely on traditional social networks to survive.” Meanwhile, church leaders from Egypt and Latin America told Open Doors that the ban on church services has caused donations to drop by about 40%. This has reduced their own incomes, as well as the ability of their communities to offer assistance to a wider range of people.

Second, another key trend has been the increase in video and digital surveillance of religious groups, as well as the improvement and proliferation of surveillance technology.

“China remains firmly on track to contain COVID-19 after the virus began in Wuhan,” Open Doors researchers said. “But for its 97 million Christians, the cost of severe restrictions as surveillance penetrated their homes, online and offline interactions were monitored, and their faces scanned into public security databases was high.”

Similarly, in India, Open Doors researchers have linked citizenship to faith.” “In countries like India and Turkey, religious identity is increasingly tied to national identity. That is, to be a “real” Indian or a good Turk, you need to be a Hindu or a Muslim, respectively,” the researchers note. “This is often implicit, if not explicitly encouraged, by the government of the day.”

Fourth, the number of attacks, carried out mainly by Muslim extremists, has increased despite lockdowns containing the coronavirus. “In many countries around the world, levels of violence against Christians have actually declined during the COVID-19 pandemic,” the researchers note, but Christians in sub-Saharan Africa “faced levels of violence that were 30% higher than the previous year.”

How does WWL compare to other known accounts of religious persecution?

Open Doors believes that Christianity is the most severely persecuted religion in the world. At the same time, she notes that there are no comparable documents for the Muslim population of the world.

Other assessments of religious freedom around the world confirm many of Open Doors' findings. For example, the latest Pew Research Center analysis of government and public hostility toward religion found that Christians were persecuted in 145 countries in 2018, more than any other religious group. Muslims were oppressed in 139 countries, and Jews were oppressed in 88 countries.

When examining only government hostility, Pew found Muslims were persecuted in 126 countries and Christians in 124 countries. When looking only at hostility from other social structures, Christians were persecuted in 104 countries and Muslims in 103 countries.

Open Doors researchers and staff look at every country in the world, but there is an in-depth focus on 100 countries, with a special focus on the 74 countries that report “high” rates of persecution (those that score more than 40 on the Open Doors 100-point scale).

Speaking during the list's unveiling ceremony, Sam Brownback, U.S. Ambassador-at-Large for International Religious Freedom, praised the World Watch List.

"The day will come when people will be able to freely practice their faith, and governments will protect that right," he said. “That day is getting closer, and Open Doors is helping make it happen.”

Which country has the worst life for Christians?

Countries in which Christians are most severely persecuted and become victims of extremists include parts of Syria and Iraq captured by militants, Yemen, Saudi Arabia, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and others.

Until 2003, there were one and a half million Christians living in Iraq. By 2014, there were 150 thousand Christians left in the country.

Until 2012, 2 million Christians lived in Syria; during two years of war, hundreds of Christian shrines were blown up and destroyed, 600 thousand Christians became refugees. Pakistan has had a blasphemy law in force since 1986. Christians can be given, for example, burnt pages from the Koran, then they can be “found”, and the court will then sentence the Christian to death.

The situation of Christians in African countries is very difficult - Nigeria, Eritrea, Libya, Algeria, Sudan, Somalia. In recent years, the situation has changed for the better only in Egypt, but even there, in some areas, danger for Christians remains.

More than 260 million Christians worldwide face persecution, new report finds

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21.01.2020

A new report from a well-known human rights organization has been released, according to which more than 260 million Christians around the world are persecuted today, and this is 60% more than a year earlier, Catholicnewsagency reports.

Persecution of Christians around the world is on the rise, according to a new annual report from Christian advocacy organization Open Doors, released January 15. Currently, more than 260 million Christians are persecuted around the world, a 6% increase from the previous year. The list of fifty countries that persecute Christianity World Watch List 2022 has been topped by North Korea for the 18th time in a row. According to the organization's estimates, about 300 thousand Christians now live in North Korea, whom the authorities deport to labor camps, considering them political criminals, and often kill them on the spot. Meetings with other Christians for worship and religious teaching are practically impossible, and take place underground in the strictest secrecy.

Behind North Korea, the top ten most brutal countries that persecute Christians include Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Pakistan, Eritrea, Sudan, Yemen, Iran and India. “Christians remain one of the most persecuted religious groups in the world,” the report’s authors write. – Although persecution of Christians takes many different forms, we define it here as any manifestation of hatred and hostility in connection with the profession of faith in Christ. Christians around the world continue to face the risks of imprisonment, loss of home and property, torture, violence and even death for their faith.”

China rose four positions over the year in the list of persecuting countries on the World Watch List 2022, from 27th place in 2022 to 23rd place in 2020. Analysts took into account the increase in government pressure on churches last year - according to estimates, authorities carried out 793 raids on churches and believers in this country during the World Watch List 2022 reporting period, while 1,847 attacks were recorded worldwide in 2022. According to Open Doors, there are at least 97 million Christians living in China today. According to human rights activists, the policy and practice of “sinicization” of the church, pursued by the country’s authorities since 2022, is capturing ever larger territories, leading to a sharp increase in persecution of Christian groups. Believers are subject to constant surveillance - according to analysts at Open Doors, citing a CNBC report, there are already almost half a billion CCTV cameras in China, and their number is growing rapidly. In addition, children under the age of 18 are prohibited from going to church, all activity in churches is monitored, and priests are increasingly forced to register officially under the threat of church closure or arrest if they refuse. More than 5,500 churches in China have already been closed.

The World Watch List 2022 recorded 447 confirmed incidents of violence and hate crimes against Christians in India, the report said. Many attacks on Christians in India are carried out by radical Hindus - often in frenzied mobs of fanatics. Last year, Muslim extremist groups contributed to the statistics of violence against Christians around the world. In Sri Lanka, for example, 250 people were killed and more than 500 injured in attacks on Catholic and Protestant churches and hotels on Easter Sunday, the report noted. In Pakistan, the government constantly turns a blind eye to the rampages of radical Islamists. In Iraq and Syria, hundreds of thousands of Christians (up to 87% of Iraq's Christian population) have been forced to flee due to civil war and atrocities committed by fanatical armed Islamist groups.

Outside Asia, the report finds the plight of Christians has worsened significantly in the African nation of Burkina Faso, which has jumped 33 places on the World Watch List over the past year as dozens of Catholic and Protestant priests have been killed or kidnapped by Islamic militants in the country so far in 2022. and members of their families. The outbreak of violence in churches in Burkina Faso, which erupted last summer and continued until the end of the year, led Justin Kientega, a Catholic bishop, to say in December that the Western world was ignoring the plight of Christians in West Africa and was quietly selling it to militants. the very weapon with which they kill Christians. In total, almost half a million people have been forced to flee their homes in Burkina Faso over the past five years, and more than 60 Christians have been killed by Islamist militants in the country in just 2022. The militant Islamist group Boko Haram also continues to brutally kill and displace Christians from their homelands in northern Nigeria and Cameroon.

Categories:

Persecution of Christians.

Editing text from:

21.01.2020 19:43:39

Are they sure they die for their faith, and not during military operations?

Most Christians die precisely for their faith. They blow up churches, kidnap Christian bishops and priests, and offer to renounce Christ and convert to Islam or other religions. They are accused of proselytism, forbidden to read the Bible and other Christian literature, publicly executed, desecrated shrines, and accused of blasphemy.

Of course, Christians, for example in Syria, like other people, suffer from war, but in addition to the humanitarian catastrophe, there is also open persecution. In the fall of 2013, in the Christian city of Sadad in Syria, after its liberation from militants, mass graves were found containing the bodies of 45 beheaded Christians.

Fraza.ua - the author's view of life

Today, against the backdrop of quarantine, a wave of actual persecution of Christianity has begun. The church and clergy are persecuted, controlled, “showed their place.” The authorities and liberal media in many countries have actually declared war on church sacraments, priests and parishioners. And some clergy have wavered and are ready to betray Christ for the sake of imaginary “public health.” Truly, very difficult times are coming for the Church of Christ.

Close the churches!

So recently in Greece the police detained Metropolitan Seraphim of Kythira. Because... he held a service in the temple against the spread of coronavirus infection Covid-19. A report was drawn up against the clergyman, after which he was released. Next time they threaten to bring Seraphim to trial. Information about him was transferred to the prosecutor's office.

And the police of one of the Zimbabwean cities completely dispersed the believers who had gathered for prayer. The video shows police using batons to force believers to leave the church.

In Moldova, it was decided to stop all religious events for two weeks. Also in Moldova and Kazakhstan it is proposed to serve without parishioners, i.e. essentially excommunicate everyone from Holy Communion.

Since March 19, churches of the Bishkek and Kyrgyz diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church have temporarily stopped public services.

In Latvia, all events with more than 50 people, including religious services and masses, have been cancelled.

Temples of the Armenian Apostolic Church will hold liturgies, but behind closed doors, that is... without parishioners.

The Cypriot Orthodox Church called on believers not to come (!) to churches at all until April 10. The head of the church, Archbishop Christosom, said the faithful should not feel guilty about not attending services.

In Italy, Sunday services are also held without parishioners. All churches in Rome are closed until April 3. Bye.

Even Athos was closed to pilgrims.

In Ukraine the situation is no better.

There is an adviser to the Minister of Internal Affairs, Ivan Varchenko, who advocates simply unprecedented restrictions on all rights and freedoms for Ukrainians as part of the fight against coronavirus. He threatened religious organizations with administrative and criminal prosecution for failure to comply with quarantine rules. “The law enforcement system will respond to cases of individual or collective ignorance of religious leaders that will endanger the health or life of people.” According to him, all restrictions established in connection with the pandemic, “as well as the obligation to comply with the rules of quarantine and observation, are mandatory regardless of religious beliefs.” “Also, the penalties determined by Articles 325 and 137 of the Criminal Code and penalties under Articles 44, 173 and 188 of the Code of Ukraine on Administrative Offenses do not contain exceptions for representatives of religious communities,” Varchenko added.

The Ministry of Health of Ukraine spoke in the same spirit. The Ministry of Health will insist that no religious events be held in the country during the quarantine period. This was stated by Deputy Minister of Health Viktor Lyashko.

On March 16, 2022, the Cabinet of Ministers adopted a resolution on restrictions due to the threat of the spread of coronavirus. According to this decision, religious organizations are prohibited from holding rites and ceremonies with the participation of more than 10 people.

That's it... Ban, restrict and punish. No other way.

As priest of the UOC Alexander Kanevsky writes, secular authorities see in divine services only a kind of “satisfaction of religious needs,” not understanding the importance of visiting church for believers.

“People in power believe that believers gather in church simply because this is the believers’ way of entertainment, a kind of “party,” which they can do without for some time. But in fact, we do not come to church to “rest our souls,” as some say. And in order to turn to the One on Whom alone our life, our every step, our every breath depends. And in the current conditions, if we want to avoid infection, who else should we all go to if not the One on Whom it depends in the first place? Do you understand? But we are asked not to do this. Paradox!” says the clergyman.

And here is the opinion of Catholic Bishop Athanasius Schneider. He believes that the measures being taken to combat coronavirus are a political dictatorship. Schneider wrote about this on the pages of the online publication Onepeterfive.com.

“Strong and disproportionate security measures denying fundamental human rights - freedom of movement, freedom of assembly and freedom of opinion - are emerging almost throughout the world according to a clear plan,” the bishop is convinced. Thus, Schneider believes: “The entire human race becomes a kind of prisoner of a world “sanitary dictatorship,” which, in turn, manifests itself as a political dictatorship. An important side effect of this new 'sanitary dictatorship' is the growing and uncompromising prohibition of all forms of public worship." Bishop Fr.

Schneider also pointed out: “Before these measures were taken in Germany, in Italy and Rome, the heartland of Catholicism and Christianity, there was a government ban on all forms of public worship. This means that the current situation with the ban on public worship in Rome takes the Church back to the time of a similar ban issued by pagan Roman emperors in the first centuries. Priests who dare to celebrate Holy Mass in the presence of the faithful under such circumstances may be punished or imprisoned. The world “sanitary dictatorship” has created a situation that breathes the air of the catacombs, the persecuted Church, the underground Church, especially in Rome.” To the Temple, not from the Temple

“The history of the Christian Church testifies that during times when epidemics were raging, prayer in churches only intensified: processions of the cross, prayer services in outbreak areas, city-wide liturgies, etc. The holiday “Honey Savior”, known among the Russian people (August 14, BC) - in honor of the Destruction of the Venerable Trees of the Cross of the Lord - is associated precisely with the exacerbation of pestilence in the Byzantine Empire. Bishops and priests, together with the people of God, did not go into quarantine then, but actively went to areas of epidemiological risk. And today, even without any special official pressure from the state authorities (as is the case, for example, in Italy, Greece or Slovakia), the church authorities are ready to almost bring boards and drive a nail into the boarded up door of the temple of God. For what? Are you afraid of the virus or media bullying?” asks Deacon Ilya Maslov.

And here is the opinion of the abbess of the Odessa Holy Archangel Michael Monastery, Abbess Seraphim (Shevchik). She called on the people not to panic about the coronavirus, but to think about their souls and remember the lessons of history. The Spanish flu epidemic, which claimed a huge number of lives, contributed to the end of the First World War; in connection with the coronavirus, we also have something to think about, the abbess is sure. “It was the Spanish Flu that stopped the aggressive actions of the First World War. She made everyone think. Look, now everything has calmed down in Syria too. And I hope that here in Donbass people will come to their senses and stop showing aggression. We need to stop,” she emphasized.

Holy Communion from disposable spoons

Today, things that are simply unthinkable for Christians are happening.

In the Russian Orthodox Church, “renovationists” started talking about... disposable “spoons” for communion. In Crimea, where, according to the latest data, an outbreak of the “terrible” virus has not even been recorded, some priests have already begun to use these same notorious disposable spoons.

Every true Christian knows that even the very idea of ​​the possibility of transmitting coronavirus through the Eucharist is blasphemous.

“Of course, the Body and Blood of Christ cannot become a source of spread of the virus,” noted Orthodox physician Victoria Lavreneva-Gulina. “Holy Communion does not just symbolize, but is the real Body and Blood of the Lord, and therefore thoughts about the possibility of transmitting coronavirus through the Eucharist are blasphemous. The Eucharist cannot be desecrated by anyone or anything.” In her opinion, throughout the centuries-old experience of Christianity, there was no evidence of transmission of the virus through the Eucharist. “The priests who served in infectious diseases hospitals and gave communion to patients, in the end consumed the remainder of the Divine Communion themselves, using the same spoon. Not a single priest was infected in these cases,” she emphasized.

Cancel Easter?!

And Easter is ahead. The largest and brightest Christian holiday.

Meanwhile, the Vatican announced the cancellation of ceremonial events with the participation of the Pope during Holy Week and Catholic Easter on April 12.

In Israel, measures to prevent coronavirus altogether could jeopardize the descent of the Holy Fire.

What should we, Ukrainians, expect on April 19, the day of Orthodox Easter? If the authorities say “no way”, if the number of deaths from coronavirus goes into the hundreds... what then? Will Christians get scared, run like rats into their apartments and nervously look at each other while eating Easter cakes? Or how?

Think about this today.

And in the end I would like to quote from the author’s blog of Sergei Khudiev: “The most precious thing an Orthodox Christian has is communication with God in prayer and the sacraments of the Church. The cessation of services produces an apocalyptic impression - after all, even during the years of severe persecution, at least some churches remained open, at least somewhere the liturgy was served. It is especially sad that this happens at the peak of the church year - when we pass through Great Lent and approach Easter. And if the time has come to endure reproach, and, perhaps, persecution because we stubbornly gather in churches and serve the Liturgy - well, let’s stand up for the Orthodox Faith, we’ll endure it if necessary...”

PS After writing the material, new information appeared indicating that in Ukraine and Russia the authorities are serious about fighting the holding of Orthodox services.

P. P. S. On March 24, it became known that French Emmanuel Macron strongly recommended that the heads of all religious denominations in the country hold the upcoming religious holidays in April, including Easter services, without parishioners. He announced this during an audio conference, AFP reports.

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Are there any statistics and who tracks them?

Yes, there are several international human rights organizations that regularly publish information about the persecution of Christians in different countries of the world. They also publish statistics. Among such structures: the international organization Open Doors, Aid to the Church in Need, Christian Solidarity International, and the Observatoire de la Christianophobie. The American Gatestone Institute publishes monthly reports on cases of persecution of Christians. Information monitoring is also carried out by the Catholic agency Fides (Agenzia Fides) and the Protestant Barnabas Foundation and International Christian Concern.

In addition, information about the persecution of Christians regularly appears in the news of Russian and international agencies. Among them we can note the portal of the Central Scientific Center “Orthodox Encyclopedia” Sedmitsa.ru, the agency “Blagovest-info”.

Russian Orthodox Church

On February 4, 2022, a press conference was held at the Rossiya Segodnya MIA, in which the Chairman of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, the Patriarchal Exarch of Africa, Metropolitan Leonid of Klin, as well as Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), secretary, took part online. DECR for Inter-Christian Relations, head of the Interreligious Working Group for the Protection of the Rights of Believers from Discrimination and Xenophobia of the Council for Interaction with Religious Associations under the President of Russia.

As Metropolitan Hilarion noted in his opening remarks, every fifth Christian in African countries is persecuted, and every year thousands of African Christians lose their lives for their faith in Jesus Christ. “The Russian Orthodox Church considers counteracting persecution on religious grounds as one of its main tasks in the international arena and for many years has been providing support to persecuted Christians in different regions of the world, including in Africa,” stated the DECR Chairman.

He recalled that His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' has repeatedly called for “the problems of Christians in African countries not to be ignored.”

Metropolitan Hilarion pointed out that the work of the Moscow Patriarchate “concerns both information support for persecuted Christians and projects to provide them with humanitarian assistance.” This, in particular, is the responsibility of the Interreligious Working Group for the Protection of the Rights of Believers from Discrimination and Xenophobia of the Council for Interaction with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation.

“The Moscow Patriarchate provides support to persecuted African Christians in contact with the Christian Churches of the continent, including the largest of them - Coptic and Ethiopian,” the hierarch said. — Work with them is carried out by the Russian Orthodox Church within the framework of bilateral Dialogue Commissions. Thus, in Ethiopia, the Moscow Patriarchate provides support to local Christians who find themselves in a difficult situation as a result of the actions of extremist groups and the development of civil confrontation. In 2019-2020 His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Rus' personally spoke in defense of Christians who were subjected to organized attacks in the center and west of Ethiopia. “His voice was heard, and the country’s authorities paid attention to this problem,” stated the DECR chairman.

The Bishop spoke about the tragic situation facing the Christian population of a number of African countries, including the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, Kenya, Mozambique, attacks by radicals on Christian villages in Mali, and religious persecution in Burkina Faso. And in Niger, where Christians make up no more than a percent of the population, their situation is especially alarming, the archpastor noted.

He stated that the most difficult situation for Christians remains in sub-Saharan countries, especially in Nigeria: this country accounts for 79% of all murders of Christians in Africa in 2022. “The Nigerian authorities either do not know or are hiding the true scale of the persecution,” emphasized the chairman of the Department for External Church Relations.

The persecution of Christians continues in Somalia. Metropolitan Hilarion also pointed out the very difficult situation in Libya, where there is practically no functioning Christian church left.

“All this, unfortunately, does not exhaust the list of countries in which atrocities are committed against Christians,” said the DECR chairman. “This list shows the scale of the disaster. The Russian Orthodox Church will continue its efforts to support persecuted Christians in Africa."

Patriarchal Exarch of Africa, Metropolitan Leonid of Klin, spoke about the priority tasks facing the Russian Orthodox Church on the Dark Continent today.

Recalling the recent creation of the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa, the Bishop noted that during this time “it has already been possible to send two missionary groups to the African continent, which are carefully studying many countries for violations of the rights and freedoms of Christian minorities.”

The bishop stated that the protection of the Christian population of Africa is a priority task for the Russian Church. “If we don’t do this, we simply won’t have anyone to communicate with there: all Christians will be killed, evicted, and that will be the end of all Christianity in Africa. And the African continent is no less than 1.3 billion people,” the hierarch said.

Bishop Leonid noted that spiritual, humanitarian and social ministries are among the most important components of the mission of the Russian Orthodox Church in Africa.

“At the moment, we are forced to protect both priests and children of priests, who are being persecuted for various reasons, including far-fetched ones,” the archpastor mentioned, speaking about the communities that decided to join the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa. — So far, thank God, there is no physical violence against them. Nevertheless, their rights are violated everywhere: people are expelled from their homes and from temples belonging to African communities. We also pay attention to this, we regularly record all these cases, and we will report to His Holiness the Patriarch and the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church, because all this should not go unnoticed.”

Information about the situation of the Christian population in various countries of the African continent was shared by Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), Secretary of the Moscow Patriarchate Department for External Church Relations for Inter-Christian Relations, Head of the Interreligious Working Group on the Protection of the Rights of Believers from Discrimination and Xenophobia of the Council for Cooperation with Religious Associations under the President of the Russian Federation .

The clergyman said that information on the situation with the rights of believers in Africa comes both from human rights, charitable, inter-Christian organizations (and data received through public channels is necessarily verified), and through direct contacts with African churches.

Speaking about the situation in specific countries, Father Stefan made special mention of Nigeria. “This is a country that today we just need to shout about,” the priest emphasized. He said extremists in the country have been systematically attacking Christians over the past few years, with the death toll numbering in the thousands each year.

“Massive attacks on Christian settlements and their complete destruction are practiced, that is, this or that village, small town is captured, and those who did not manage to escape are killed, their houses, churches, all property, crops are burned. At the same time, the reports do not take into account the victims associated with the death of people from hunger as a result of such attacks, deaths in refugee camps - there are no statistics here at all. This is a huge amount of work that lies ahead, including for the Russian Orthodox Church, in providing assistance to Nigerian Christians,” added the DECR representative. In addition, terrorists from the Boko Haram group (banned in the Russian Federation - approx.) practice attacks on universities, Christian schools, and shelters.

The Democratic Republic of Congo is a state with a Christian majority, but the northeast of this country has been the scene of jihadist attacks and mass extermination of Christians over the past two or three years, along much the same lines as in Nigeria, although on a slightly smaller scale.

In Uganda, extremists attack Christian pastors, kidnap them and, more often, kill them; In addition, former Muslims who converted to Christianity are killed.

In Kenya, there are attacks by the Al-Shabab group (banned in the Russian Federation - approx.) from Somalia. In the east of the country, they are terrorists attacking intercity buses, killing all passengers professing Christianity.

In Somalia, Christians are in almost the same situation as in Libya: there are almost none left, and those who exist are in hiding, since any Christian is threatened with painful death.

The problem is growing, affecting more and more countries on the continent, stated Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov). A new sign of persecution in different countries is that extremists attack Christian gatherings during religious processions and holiday celebrations. Children often suffer from attacks and kidnappings.

As noted during the press conference, the world community is largely silent about the situation of Christians who are being persecuted and destroyed.

The participants of the press conference answered questions from journalists. In particular, the issue of inter-Christian cooperation with the aim of providing assistance to persecuted Christians in Africa was highlighted. Metropolitan Leonid also spoke about steps to organize the life of African Orthodox communities that were included in the Patriarchal Exarchate of Africa.

DECR Communications Service/ Patriarchia.ru

Who protects Christians?

First of all, the Christians themselves. Russian Orthodox Church, representatives of other Local Orthodox Churches, Catholics, Protestants. The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, several international human rights organizations, for example, the International Catholic Charitable Foundation “Help to the Church in Need.” The purpose of this fund is “to provide fraternal assistance to local churches in the most difficult situations.” Projects “Helping the Church in Need” are carried out today in more than 140 countries around the world. The Foundation’s activities are implemented in the form of humanitarian projects, protection of the rights of Christians,

There is an organization called Christian Solidarity International, whose head, John Eibner, regularly visits Iraq and Syria. His organization provides humanitarian assistance to Christians together with local human rights organizations.

Much work is carried out by Catholic organizations, such as the Community of Sant'Egidio and the Caritas charitable foundation. In 2015, the mentioned Community held a large-scale international conference in Bari on the protection of Middle Eastern Christians.

Protestant organizations, such as the Billy Graham Evangelical Association, the Barnabas Foundation, and Christian Care International, provide extensive informational support to persecuted Christians and post petitions in defense of Christian prisoners.

As for Muslims helping persecuted Christians, such cases do occur. For example, not long ago, Catholic priest Jacques Murad escaped from ISIS captivity in Syria with the assistance of a Muslim. Before the arrival of the militants, he enjoyed great authority among Muslims in the city of Qaryatein, they helped him even in captivity. It is not surprising that local Muslims protect Christians: after all, before the arrival of militants in Syria or Iraq, believers of different religions lived in peace among themselves, and the authorities tried to maintain this peace. In Egypt, there were cases when Muslims stood around Christian churches, preventing extremists from reaching them.

How to Protect Christians in Africa and the Middle East

“Every fifth Christian on this continent is persecuted, every year thousands of African Christians lose their lives for their faith in Jesus Christ,” said the head of the Department for External Church Relations, Metropolitan Hilarion of Volokolamsk, opening the conference.

According to him, the Russian Orthodox Church today considers countering religious persecution as one of its main tasks in the international arena. And for many years now it has been providing support to persecuted Christians in different regions of the world, including Africa.

Repeated calls not to ignore the problems of Christians in African countries were heard from the lips of Patriarch of Moscow All Rus' Kirill. In the last year alone, this topic has been repeatedly raised by the Church both at the international summit on religious freedom in Washington and at a meeting with Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.

The work of the Moscow Patriarchate on the African continent today concerns both information support for persecuted Christians and projects to provide them with humanitarian assistance. This is done in particular by the Interreligious Working Group on the Protection of the Rights of Believers from Discrimination and Xenophobia of the Council for Interaction with Religious Associations under the President of Russia

The Russian Orthodox Church provides support to persecuted Christians together with the Christian churches of the continent, including the largest of them - the Coptic and Ethiopian.

In Ethiopia, support is needed for Christians who find themselves in a difficult situation due to the actions of extremist groups.

Metropolitan Hilarion recalled how Patriarch Kirill personally spoke out in defense of Christians under attack in the center and west of Ethiopia, and his voice was heard. According to him, Ethiopia treats both the Russian President and Patriarch Kirill with great gratitude.

But the most difficult situation now is for Christians living in sub-Saharan Africa. The worst situation is in Nigeria, where 79 percent of all Christian killings occur. The Nigerian authorities either do not know about this or are hiding it, Metropolitan Hilarion emphasized. From 2014 to 2022, at least 7,000 people were killed there by the terrorist organization. And at the end of February 2022, about 300 schoolgirls were kidnapped and managed to be released (probably for ransom).

Orthodox Christians in Africa - their faith, their churches, their services. Photo: Telegram channel of the Patriarchal Exarch in Africa

The Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, Cameroon, Kenya, Mozambique, attacks in central Mali, Burkina Faso, the difficult situation in Libya, and especially difficult in Nigeria - this is the African map of Christian disasters.

In Libya, for example, there is not a single Christian church left.

“I arrived in Africa literally only a month ago,” Patriarchal Exarch of Africa, Metropolitan Leonid of Klin, said at the conference, “but we have already managed to create two groups to study violations of the rights and freedoms of Christians.

According to him, there may be nothing left of the majority of Christians in Africa, since only a tenth of Christians remained in Iraq after the American invasion.

Since in many African countries people often live below the threshold of poverty, the Russian Orthodox Church has to carry out spiritual, humanitarian, and social service there at the same time.

But the most important thing is that the persecution of Christian priests and their children for far-fetched reasons, their expulsion from homes and churches should not go unnoticed, Metropolitan Leonid believes.

Massive attacks on Christian villages, schools, orphanages, and their complete destruction, according to DECR Secretary for International Relations, Hieromonk Stefan (Igumnov), do not exhaust the picture of disasters; we must also take into account the deaths of people from hunger and in the camps.

A separate article, he said, is attacks on Christian girls, who are kidnapped and forced to convert to Islam under threat of murder.

In Nigeria, attacks occur almost daily; many people are captured, for whom terrorists demand tens, or even hundreds of thousands of dollars in ransom. Baptist, Methodist, and Catholic priests are regularly killed. At the same time, to everyone's surprise, last year Nigeria was removed from the list of countries where there is religious persecution. But they tried to include Russia there.

The difficult situation in northeastern Congo is now the scene of terrorist attacks and extermination of Christians. Christians have a hard time in Uganda and Kenya. In Kenya, buses are hijacked, passengers are separated into Muslims and Christians and the latter are killed. In Uganda, pastors are attacked, Christians are kidnapped and killed, especially if they find out that they are former Muslims, says Fr. Stephen.

Now this has spread to southern Africa, but in Mozambique, unlike Nigeria, the authorities are still trying to do something.

Murders on the African continent are usually barbaric - they kill with machetes, cut off heads. Children are destroyed like adults, without regard to the fact that they are children.

At the same time, according to Abbot Stefan, it is known that the actions of terrorists in the north of Mozambique are supported by international forces.

Attacks on Christian charities have been reported in Mali.

Terrorists began to penetrate Burkina Faso, which had lived peacefully for many years. The difficult situation with the persecution of Christians in Somalia. There are almost no Christians left there, or they exist secretly, because if they recognize themselves as Christians, they will face a painful death.

Already in 2022, 6 Christians have been killed in Kenya, and 1 person has been kidnapped in Nigeria. 22 girls were kidnapped and some of them died, but, according to Abbot Stefan, no one talks about this.

Violence against Christians also occurs in Niger. In Liberia, 20 people were killed, including 11 children and pregnant women.

In a new sign of persecution, extremists are attacking gatherings and religious celebrations.

According to Metropolitan Leonid, the DECR carefully collects such information, it is talked about on all possible public platforms, but often they “don’t hear it,” “believing that Africa is a kind of deep well - if you fail, that’s all.”

Orthodox Christians in Africa - their faith, their churches, their services. Photo: Telegram channel of the Patriarchal Exarch in Africa

According to Metropolitan Leonid, today we need to rely on international organizations to protect rights and freedoms, and work out protection mechanisms. Interestingly, he noted, there are no known cases of groups of Christians attacking representatives of other religions and taking their lives because of their religious affiliation...

According to him, the Patriarchal Exarchate in Africa faces a “very difficult path” in the next 3-4 months. However, he is proud of the relationships established in Africa, for example with the famous Islamic University of Cairo al-Azhar. Contacts with peaceful Islam and highly educated Muslims of the continent are a very important resource. Radical Islamist groups differ sharply in words and actions from what peaceful Islam preaches.

Father Stefan Igumnov also recalled the experience of Syria, where traditional Muslims and Christians were not at odds.

According to Metropolitan Leonid, many African Christians know little about their faith, and the exarchate has developed three stages of catechesis. The Russian Church will build schools and almshouses, medical centers and paramedic stations in Africa; according to the exarch, 1.3 billion rubles have already been received from philanthropists for this. There will also be a need for people who want to work as missionaries and in humanitarian missions on the African continent.

While the conference was going on, the question came: can students of Orthodox theological schools serve in Africa, and the answer was given: yes.

It is already known that the topic of persecution of Christians will be raised at the upcoming meeting of His Holiness Patriarch Kirill with Pope Francis this year. She was the main one in their conversation in Havana. But today the situation is different, according to Abbot Stefan, now half of the agenda of the World Council of Churches is devoted to the protection of Christians, including in Africa. According to him, this happened not without the influence of the Russian Church.

Metropolitan Leonid recalled the economic background of African stories. The continent, he said, contains half of the world's reserves of natural resources important for the development of high technologies. But it is sometimes important for international developers of these resources to hush up serious conflicts and tragedies associated with the persecution of Christians. He recalled that despite global problems, the job of Christians is to bring warmth, kindness and love.

Are there international documents on the protection of Christians?

On March 13, 2015 in Geneva, at the 28th session of the UN Human Rights Council, a joint statement of 65 states was made “In support of the human rights of Christians and other communities, especially in the Middle East.” This statement was initiated by three countries: Russia, the Vatican and Lebanon. This document is the most significant because it specifically addresses the fate of Middle Eastern Christians. There are also other documents, in particular, on January 20, 2011, the PACE resolution “On the situation of Christians in the light of the protection of freedom of religion” was adopted, condemning the killing or discrimination of Christians in different countries.

Priest Dimitry Safonov, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Candidate of Theology, Secretary of the Academic Council of the Central Orthodox Church, Deputy Head of the Department of External Church Relations, Head of the Interreligious Contacts Sector of the Department for External Church Relations of the Moscow Patriarchate

Persecution of Christians in the modern world: death every five minutes

Christianity is the most persecuted religion today. According to some analysts, the current persecution of Christians is comparable in scale to the persecution in Ancient Rome. And it is no coincidence that Metropolitan Hilarion began his speech at the press conference with statistics, which, in the language of dry numbers, best show the alarming situation in the world. He especially emphasized that in those countries from which bad news comes, there is a complete lack of a system for protecting the Christian minority.

The Bishop recalled that the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church adopted a statement back in May in connection with the growing manifestations of Christianophobia in the world, in connection with conflicts in the Middle East and North Africa. This statement, in particular, calls for “the development of a comprehensive and effective mechanism for the protection of Christians and Christian communities subject to persecution or restrictions in their religious life and activities.” Even representatives of moderate Islam provide support to persecuted Christians: for example, the Al-Azhar Islamic University is concerned about clashes between Christians and Muslims in Egypt, Russian Muslims also call to stop the bloodshed and exodus of Christians from Iraq, Palestine and other countries. According to Bishop Hilarion, “the existence of Christianity in those regions where Christian Churches have served for centuries and peacefully coexisted with Muslims and representatives of other religions” is at risk.”

Islam is a peaceful religion; the Koran calls for peaceful coexistence with representatives of other faiths. Therefore, as Metropolitan Hilarion emphasized, the conflict with Christians is started by representatives of radical groups, from which even Muslims themselves suffer. In this regard, the situation in the Northern Caucasus is of concern, where tolerant and educated representatives of Islam are dying at the hands of terrorists - the ruler mentioned Mufti Anas Pshikhachev, who was killed last December in Nalchik.

“In a sense, this is one and the same war, which is aimed at destabilizing the interreligious situation and at radicalizing ideas about themselves and about believers professing other religions,” Metropolitan Hilarion emphasized. He also especially noted the importance of religious literacy in the modern world: “its absence becomes a source of conflict.”

Recently, several international organizations (eg the European Parliament) have issued statements and resolutions in defense of Christians in the world. This deserves attention, however, according to Metropolitan Hilarion, we cannot limit ourselves to statements - the time has come for concrete actions. First of all, a system is needed to protect Christians from persecution. An important step in this direction will be the creation of an information structure that would track all cases of violence against Christians and make them public. Each such case, the DECR head believes, cannot be hushed up - it must be examined carefully and comprehensively at all levels.

Interreligious consolidation is also necessary, an understanding that terrorism, radicalism, and fundamentalism are directed against every peaceful religion that has as its goal the goodness and peaceful coexistence of people. The governments of European countries, human rights and political organizations are called upon to actively participate in the development of a system for the protection of Christians. The best protection mechanism for Christians may be the following formula: “Economic and other assistance to the country in exchange for guarantees of the safety of religious minorities in this country.”

During the press conference, Metropolitan Hilarion answered questions about the situation in the Balkans, where Kosovo Christians live in constant tension and under the protection of international forces, about the Russian parish in Iran, about the visit to the International Christian Peace Convocation in Jamaica and much more. Thus, the bishop expressed hope that a resource will soon appear on the Russian-language Internet, whose work will be aimed at monitoring complex religious situations in the world related to Christianity.

Metropolitan Hilarion also spoke about the steps that the Russian Orthodox Church is taking to help fellow believers who are being persecuted:

— For our part, we participate in a number of charitable programs that are aimed at improving the situation of Christians living in different countries of the world. In particular, the Department for External Church Relations operates the “Round Table on Religious Education and Diakonia (Social Service) of the Russian Orthodox Church” program, within the framework of which a number of charitable and educational projects are carried out. In addition, we have repeatedly offered assistance to the Serbian Orthodox Church in protecting its shrines located in the Kosovo region, including sending monks from the Moscow Patriarchate to Serbian monasteries, who, by the very fact of their presence, will testify to our solidarity and, in a sense, attract public attention to these spiritual centers.

However, for now, concrete actions to improve the religious situation in the world are in the preparatory stage: as the head of the Department for External Church Relations noted, “persecution of Christians in different countries has been happening for a long time, only in recent months have they begun to pay serious attention to them.”

At the end of the press conference, answering a question about the joint action of Muslims and Christians in Egypt on January 2, 2011, Metropolitan Hilarion again drew attention to the solidarity of representatives of different religions: “Even if people simply see a Christian leader next to a Muslim one, this will become pacifying factor; if these leaders make a joint statement, it will have a positive impact on the situation. Believers must see that their spiritual leaders are in dialogue with representatives of other religious traditions. This will contribute to the cause of consolidation and reconciliation.”

Iraq

In Iraq, the largest Christian denomination is represented by the Chaldean Catholic Church. Also in the country are the Antiochian Orthodox, Syro-Jacobite, Syrian Catholic and Armenian Apostolic churches.

In the early 2000s. About 1.5 million Christians lived in Iraq, accounting for about 5% of the country's population. By 2014, their number had decreased by 10 times (to 150 thousand), which was a consequence of the war and ongoing terrorist attacks by Islamic radicals. After the seizure of part of Iraqi territory by the Islamic State terrorist group in June 2014, Christians in Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul, found themselves in a catastrophic situation. By the time the militants invaded the city, 35 thousand followers of the Christian Church lived there (in 2003 - 60 thousand). The jihadists, who declared Mosul the capital of the “Islamic Caliphate,” gave them an ultimatum to convert to Islam or pay a monthly special tax for non-Muslims (“jizya”) of $250. Otherwise, the terrorists threatened to kill all Christians in the city. As a result, almost all Mosul Christians fled to Iraqi Kurdistan. Also, the Christian city of Qaraqosh, with 50 thousand inhabitants, was almost completely deserted.

Currently, in territories controlled by IS militants, civilians are subjected to arrests, torture and brutal executions, including through crucifixion.

Ritual murders of Caucasian Christians

Secret reasons and organizers of the Armenian genocide. Part 3

Throughout the 20th century, the Turkish Republic remained a parody of democracy. The main guarantor of the preservation of the secular regime of the Young Turks was the army and generals. And only in the 21st century did Erdogan enter into a fight with the Kemalists and their projects. The leader of modern Sabbatians in Turkey is the preacher Fethullah Gülen. Directing the global network of his educational projects from the United States, Gülen, through people embedded in all levels of Turkish society, is desperately fighting for power with Erdogan.

The current president sometimes faces absurd situations when the place of a general, governor, deputy or judge of the Dönme is replaced by an equally deeply conspiratorial Dönme. The Russian series “Sleepers” is extremely relevant for Turkey. Erdogan may be happy to restore at least some kind of relations with neighboring Armenia, but the burden of genocide prevents him from doing this. And admitting to something that was done by completely different forces and people would also be stupid. Erdogan faces the incredible task of breaking through the information wall that shifts responsibility for the Armenian genocide onto his country and modern Turks. But Erdogan is trying, and soon, probably, with the opening of the archives, the world will learn about the true perpetrators of the genocide.

It will also be extremely difficult for the Armenians themselves, who are historically under the influence of the large Armenian diaspora in Western countries, to accept facts that greatly change their ideas, which have developed under the influence of propaganda over 100 years. Only one thing can give impetus to the relationship between the Armenians on the one hand and the Turks and Azerbaijanis on the other. They are neighbors, this was, is and will be. And sooner or later this will have to be done, since it is impossible to fight forever.

Among the many photographic documents about the Armenian genocide that have survived to this day, one photograph caught my attention. It shows a group of naked Armenian women crucified on crosses. For all the fame of such an execution, in reality crucifixion during our era was by no means so widespread. Crucifixion, as a method of painful execution, was widespread during the Roman Empire, when this mass execution was practiced for especially dangerous criminals. However, after the death of Jesus Christ, crucifixion gradually ceased to be an ordinary method of execution, as it became a kind of blood sacrifice made by the Jews. Isolated cases of crucifixion were used only against Christians and were of a ritual nature. Mass cases of crucifixion, and even combined with the deepest insult to the people in the form of the nudity of many women, were practically never encountered. Therefore, this incident, which occurred in the 20th century, gives reason to consider it ritual, committed specifically against the bearers of the Christian faith, which Muslims were seen to do extremely rarely.

One can recall the massacre of Georgians committed by the troops of Jalal-ed-Din retreating from the Mongols in Tbilisi, when they placed an icon of the Mother of God on the bridge over the Kura River and forced the Georgians to cross to the other side, stepping on it. Then 50 thousand Christians refused to do this and were killed on the banks of the Kura. But the ritual nature of the execution in this case is difficult to discern. Orthodox Christians in Russia experienced a similar genocide under Soviet rule, when tens of thousands of priests, almost all priests and bishops were killed, tens of thousands of churches and cathedrals were devastated and destroyed. But this happened after the Armenian genocide, although the forces behind these atrocities were the same.

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In the long history of the Armenian people there was another similar case, when a mass execution was carried out in almost a similar way and was clearly ritual in nature. This incident was described by the Armenian historian Favstos Buzand and the writer Raffi in his historical novel “Samvel”. It occurred in the 4th century AD during the attack of the Persian king Shapukh (Shapura II) on Armenia. This is how this execution is described in the novel “Samvel” ch. VIII. “Shapukh at the ruins of Zarekhavan”:

“The will of the king of kings has already been fulfilled,” Meruzhan answered proudly. — A temple has already been built there and the sacred fire is burning. Yesterday I ordered the prisoners to be brought and forced them to bow to the fire. Some agreed, while others stubbornly refused. How will the king of kings order to deal with the lost?

- Punish everyone without mercy! Let this serve as an example for others! - Shapukh exclaimed, and his big eyes lit up with implacable anger. “From east to west, the faith of Mazdaism must reign, and anyone who opposes it must suffer the most severe punishment.

“This is exactly what the order was made, great sir!” Now the punitive ritual

.

On the plain near the river, herds of trained elephants waited impatiently. The counselors tried to tease them as much as possible, and so the huge animals roared terribly. The prisoners who refused to worship the fire were lined up in the square. Silently, with sad faces, they awaited their last fatal minutes. But in their dying languor there was a proud consciousness of fulfilled duty...

... The musicians began to play trumpets and hit tympanums. These sounds excited the elephants even more. They began to dance wildly. At this time, Persian executioners in red clothes brought prisoners - adults and children - to the elephants and placed them in groups in front of them. The ferocious elephants began a terrible game with their victims. Having picked up the unfortunate people from the ground with their terrible trunks, they threw them high in the air like balls. They fell to the ground with pitiful groans. The elephants picked them up again, spun them in the air and again threw them onto the ground with all their might. This hellish fun continued until the unfortunates lost consciousness. Then the elephants began to trample them with their feet and the crushed, bloody bodies, like pieces of cotton wool, were again picked up by their trunks and thrown into the river. The sad Euphrates gradually filled with corpses, and its clear, clean water was stained with blood. Thus thousands of human beings were trampled by elephants...

...At this time, not far from the place of the monstrous dance of the elephants, another atrocity was being prepared. Carts with some kind of moving machines were hastily dragged into the square. On each of them stood a pointed long pole. From a distance, this multitude of carts with iron points looked like boats standing at the pier with masts piercing into the sky. When the carts were installed in the square, the hellish work began.

Among the prisoners were many young noble women and girls - the wives and daughters of those nakharars who, having learned about the approach of Shapukh and not wanting to submit to him, abandoned their castles and fled in different directions. These noble women were kept in special tents, not far from Shapukh’s tent. The royal eunuchs came to them, stripped them naked and lined them up in long rows in front of carts with poles in the square.

It was a disgusting spectacle invented by Shapukh, whose impudence and shamelessness surpassed his cruelty. Modest women and girls were forced to stand naked and envy in their souls those lucky ones who died under the feet of elephants, instantly getting rid of the atrocities of Shapukh. Many of them could not stand on their feet: they lost consciousness and fell to the ground. The eunuchs forced them to rise. Others, like madmen, tore out their hair, scratched their faces, beat their chests and, sobbing loudly, screamed. The eunuch's whip fell on their naked bodies, leaving bloody stripes on them. Then they fell silent...

...It was a cruel mockery, a grave insult, with which Shapukh wanted to humiliate the Armenian nobility. Noble women stood naked in front of his army. The warriors surrounded the women in a thick crowd, staring at them...

...Then the executioners dressed in red approached and, like evil wolves, pounced on the women, led many of them to the carts and placed them on the floors. The exquisitely crafted barbaric execution machine was terrifying. An iron pole stuck into the middle of the cart was reinforced with ropes like a mast. The unfortunate victims were lifted up on these ropes and impaled on the sharp end of the pole, like on a skewer. Less than a quarter of an hour had passed before the square was filled with hanging naked corpses. But stronger than death was the firmness with which these brave martyrs approached the machine of terrible execution. Climbing it, they considered it the road to eternal bliss. The bravery of the women crushed the conceit of the arrogant king. Sitting in his tent, he saw their torment, heard their bitter groans and, seized by devilish anger, raged, because he saw that even his incredible cruelty remained aimless, without having any effect ... "

This ritual is very reminiscent of the executions of the first Christians in the amphitheaters of Rome, when after the famous fire in 64, at the instigation of the wife of Emperor Nero, the Jewish woman Poppaea (see Josephus Flavius ​​“Antiquities of the Jews”), Christians were accused of this atrocity. Then Christians were also hunted en masse by beasts, lions, and others were crucified, like the first apostles. Only in the case of the Armenians, lions were replaced by elephants, and mechanisms with stakes were used instead of crosses. But in both cases, people were executed solely for their Christian faith, since those who renounced avoided execution, and the execution itself was of a ritual nature. Never before had any Persian, Arab or Ottoman conqueror carried out such ritual mass executions until the Armenian genocide in the 20th century. What prompted Shapur II to commit this crime?

Even 100 years before the events described, his predecessor Shapur I provided special patronage to Mani, the founder of the Manichaean sect, who tried to merge Zoroastrianism, Judaism and Christianity into a single religion. In a special place with the king was the Amorite Samuel, who was in close friendly relations with many Zoroastrian magicians-astronomers (Shab. 156b). Under this king, the position of Jews in the empire began to strengthen greatly, as opposed to Christians. Under his descendant Shapur II, persecution of Christians increased, and the position of Jews intensified. Shapur II's mother, Ifra-Gormiz, was known for her favor towards the Jews. The Babylonian Talmud states that she was a “Judaizing Kushan woman.” It is said about her that she observed some Jewish laws (Nidda, 20b), one day she sent Rabbi Joseph a donation for a charitable cause, מצוה רבה‎ (B. Bat., 8a), she also expressed a desire to make a sacrifice to the Jewish God (Zeb., 116b). Under Shapur II and III, the Jewish scholars and sages Rabbis Ashi, Mar Zutra, Amemar and Guna ben Natish were especially close to the court.

For Christians, difficult times then came. Under a far-fetched pretext, Shapur II executed Bishop Ctesiphon Simeon bar-Sabbe, Bishop Aifal, Presbyter Akepsim, Archbishop Simeon's sister, Pervulia and another 100 clergy and 18,000 Christians who suffered a painful death. As numerous sources testify, the persecution was inspired by the Zoroastrian priesthood, Jews and Manichaeans.

By the 3rd century, a very large number of Jews lived in Armenia. The first Jews in northern Armenia began to appear during the Babylonian exile, resettled by King Nebuchadnezzar. Tigran the Great resettled 10 thousand Jews to Armenia, settling them in the cities of Artashat, Vaghasabat, Yervandashat, Sarhevan, Sarisat, Van, and Nakhichevan. This policy was continued by his successors. The first wave of Jews resettled by Tigran eventually converted to Christianity, and the second wave of resettlement, organized by Artavazd - the Van Jews - continued to profess Judaism. Josephus Flavius, being received by the Roman Empress, when asked what he knew about Armenia, replied:

“Jews live well in Armenia. The Armenian cities of this period retained their Hellenistic appearance and lived relatively freely; Jews made up a significant part of the urban population in Armenia and played an important role in trade. The rulers did not interfere with the free movement of residents of different religions, which contributed to the well-being of Jewish communities engaged in trade and crafts.”

Realizing the impossibility of holding devastated Armenia in the face of Byzantium, Shapur II ordered the massive resettlement of all Jews and Armenians, who most likely had renounced Christianity, to the interior regions of Persia. The 5th-century historian Favstos Buzand claims that 83 thousand Jews were evicted from six cities of Armenia:

“They took prisoners from all these gavars, regions, gorges and countries, drove everyone to the city of Nakhichevan, which was the concentration of their troops. They also took and destroyed this city, and from there they took 2 thousand families of Armenians and 16 thousand families of Jews and took them away along with other prisoners.”

The historian claims that the Persians in the period from 360 to 370 took 40,000 Armenian and 9,000 Jewish families from the city of Artashat, 20,000 Armenian and 30,000 Jewish families from Yervandashat, 5,000 Armenian and 8,000 Jewish families from Zarekhvan, from Zarishata - 10,000 Armenian and 14,000 Jewish families, from Van - 5,000 Armenian and 18,000 Jewish families. Jews moved to the interior regions of Persia, including the territory of modern Azerbaijan. The main place of resettlement of Jews and Armenians was the city of Nakhichevan and its environs. The Jews of Nachichevan later converted to Islam and became mainly Azerbaijani Dönme (Denmez), and the Armenians were represented by the ethnographic group “zoki”, about which many researchers say that they are Armenian Jews. The Zoks, unlike other Armenians, differed greatly in appearance, language and occupation. The main occupation of the Zoks was trade, and they provided strong competition to Venetian, Baghdad and Syrian merchants.

Subsequently, after the Arab and then Ottoman conquests, most of the peoples of the region converted to Islam, with the exception of Armenians, Georgians, Assyrians and some Kurds (Yazidis). Jews partially retained their faith and identity, partially adopted Islam and now play a decisive role in Azerbaijan, mainly representing the Nakhichevan clan in power structures at all levels.

Israel's claims to the territory of modern Iran and Greater Azerbaijan were recently unequivocally confirmed by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. American political scientist and writer, author of the book “The Holocaust Industry,” Norman Finkelstein, whose parents themselves survived the Holocaust, published on his website the words Netanyahu said to a narrow circle of like-minded people:

“The land of Iran has long been part of our heritage, and we call on the international community to work with us to ensure its return to an independent Jewish state,” Netanyahu said, adding that Israel is ready to use military force if necessary to reoccupy all The 636,400 square miles of present-day Iran that were historically included in the Promised Land gave the Jewish people a biblical mandate.

“The so-called Islamic cities of Tehran, Mashhad, Esfahan and dozens of others were founded on what were once ancient Jewish kingdoms, not to mention how many of our most sacred sites are now occupied by Iran, including the Holy Mausoleum of Imam Reza ,
Jamkaran Mosque and Zoroastrian Fire Temple Chak-Chak.
In fact, Iran is home to the highest concentration of Jewish ancient sacred sites anywhere in the world outside of Mecca, Lumbini and the Vatican. We demand that the Jewish people be allowed to return to governing the lineages of our Persian Homeland." At a press conference, Netanyahu approved plans to begin construction of a large Israeli settlement in the center of Tehran." To be continued…

Alexander Nikishin

for Bell of Russia