Bishop Kevin Farrell

The Chief Shepherd of the Catholic Diocese of Dallas

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Persecution of Egypt’s Christians

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Persecution of Christians in Egypt

In the midst of the political turmoil in Egypt, the fact that Egyptian Christians are being blamed for the troubles and made the scapegoats by extremist supporters of deposed President Morsi has been lost to many. The data concerning attacks on Christian Churches and individual Christians indicate the fear that permeates the Christian community in Egypt.

Last week the Asia News reported these incidents of attacks on institutions and individuals:

  • 14 Catholic churches and convents
  • 35 Orthodox and evangelical churches
  • 9 other Christian institutions
  • 58 Christian homes
  • 85 Christian-owned shops
  • 16 Christian-owned pharmacies
  • 3 Christian-owned hotels in Upper Egypt
  • 75 buses and cars with Christian occupants

Included in the reports are seven dead, 17 kidnapped and hundreds injured. In the absence of protection by the authorities, Egyptian Christians and many of their Muslim neighbors have taken to guarding the Churches.

Extremist violence against Christians in the Middle East is not new. Recall the attack on the Syrian Catholic cathedral of Baghdad in 2010 in which dozens of people were killed and injured, among them two priests and a group of faithful gathered for Sunday Mass. There was another attack on Coptic Christians in Alexandria, Egypt, on January 1, 2011. Twenty -three people died as a result of that incident and 97 more were injured.

Eastern Christianity is little known to most Americans and is sometimes confusing.  Paulist Father Ronald G. Robertson offers the following explanation of the four distinct Eastern Christian communions: (1) the Assyrian Church of the East, which is not in communion with any other church; (2) the six Oriental Orthodox churches, which, even if each one is independent, are in full communion with one another; (3) the Orthodox Church, which is a communion of national or regional churches, all of which recognize the Patriarch of Constantinople as a point of unity enjoying certain rights and privileges; and (4) the Eastern Catholic churches, all of which are in communion with the Church of Rome and its bishop. (Eastern Christian Churches)

Christianity was born in the Middle East and until the 14th Century had a powerful presence throughout Asia. It became Eurocentric by default as Asian Christianity was all but extinguished by the dominance of Islam.  Eastern Christian Churches today, other than the Orthodox, are but remnants of a golden age.

In June, Pope Francis spoke about his concern for Eastern Christians noting that “So many brothers and sisters live in a situation of insecurity and seemingly interminable violence which does not spare the innocent and most helpless.” He renewed his call to “the leaders of nations and of international organizations, to believers of every religion, and to women and men of good will to put an end to all suffering, to all violence, to all religious, cultural and social discrimination.”

We share the pain with our Eastern Christian brothers and sisters, as we share their suffering, for as St. Paul wrote of the Body of Christ, “If [one] part suffers, all the parts suffer with it.” ( Cor 12:26)

A Papal plea to Christians and Muslims

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Pope Benedict XVI addresses youth in Lebanon

Amidst the tumult and chaos of the Middle East Sunday, Pope Benedict  XVI in Lebanon, called upon an audience of Muslim  and Christian youth “to live in unity and harmony,” reminding them that  “you are the future of this fine country and of the Middle East” and that young Christians and Muslims must “seek to build it up together.”

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Whither the Arab Spring?

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During my visit to Ireland for the Eucharistic Congress my blog will consist of some instances of attacks on our religious liberty both here and abroad as recorded by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. Amid the current turmoil in Egypt in might be well to see how Egypt’s ancient Christian community is faring. My earlier blogs on attacks on our religious freedom have been historical. This blog and the previous one are not history, they are current events.

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CHRISTIANS STRUGGLE TO SURVIVE IN IRAQ

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During my visit to Ireland for the Eucharistic Congress my blog will consist of some instances of attacks on our religious liberty both here and abroad as recorded by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. My earlier  blogs on attacks on our religious freedom have been historical. This blog and the previous one are not history, they are current events.

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When the law makes following Scripture a crime

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You shall treat the alien who resides with you no differently than the natives born among you; you shall love the alien as yourself; for you too were once aliens in the land of Egypt.y I, the LORD, am your God. Leviticus 19:34

During my visit to Ireland for the Eucharistic Congress my blog will consist of some instances of attacks on our religious liberty both here and abroad reported by the US Conference of Catholic Bishops. My previous blogs on attacks on our religious freedom have been historical. This blog and the following one are not history, they are current events.

[Read more…]

Are they really Catholic?

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Media coverage of the recent tragic bombing of the Syrian Catholic Church in Baghdad and the Middle Eastern Synod last month has reminded many Catholics that the term “Catholic” extends beyond the Roman and Latin Rite to which we belong. Some have even asked of Eastern Rite churches: “Are they really Catholic?”

The answer is a resounding yes, although their histories are very different than those of the Roman Rite. There are some 20 Eastern Rite churches, that have their own hierarchy and their own canon law, but all are in communion with the Pope. With the exception of the Maronites and elements of the Italo-Albanian Byzantine Catholic Church, the roots of Eastern Rite churches are in Orthodox or Oriental churches that separated from Rome. Parts of those separated churches later were reunited with Rome and compose the Eastern Rite Catholic churches.

Division among Christians began early with the first separations occurring as a result of the Council of Ephesus in 431 a.d., and others after the Council of Chalcedon in 451. In 1054 the Great Schism between the Roman Catholic Church and the Eastern Orthodox Church occurred. Those churches that resulted from the earlier divisions are generally referred to as Oriental churches and those from the Great Schism as Orthodox churches. About half of the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches find their roots in the Oriental Churches and the others in the Orthodox Churches. All are sometimes referred to as “uniate,” meaning that they are in union with the Pope.

While the liturgies of the Eastern Rites are very different from the Roman Rite, the essential Eucharistic celebration remains the same. All adhere to the same teaching or magisterium, but the hierarchical structures vary. Most Eastern Rite Churches are found in the Middle Eastern countries and are minority churches in predominately Muslim countries. Some are under siege, others enjoy greater religious freedom.

Many have congregations in America, including in the Diocese of Dallas where we have Eastern Rite communities from both the Orthodox and Oriental traditions.

Yes, they are really Catholic with a capital C , but they also demonstrate how the church is catholic with a small c.

To learn more about our Eastern Rite Catholic churches visit the Catholic Near East Welfare Association website at www.cnewa.com.

The Martyrs of Baghdad

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This All Saints Day we not only commemorate those who have gone before us through the centuries, but we are vividly reminded that sainthood through martyrdom is not something of the ancient past. Yesterday more than 40 Syriac Catholics were martyred in Our Lady of Deliverance Cathedral in Baghdad where 120 Catholics had been taken hostage by Muslim extremists demanding release of Muslim women given sanctuary by a Coptic church in Egypt.

Most of the terrorists were killed when Iraqi security forces stormed the Cathedral when they believed killing of the hostages had begun. As the security forces moved in the terrorists set off two suicide vest bombs killing at least 58 people, including parishioners, security forces and three of the terrorists.

Pope Benedict XVI issued the following message: “ Last evening, in a grave attack on the Syriac-Catholic cathedral of Baghdad, there were scores of deaths and injuries, among them two priests and a group of the faithful there for Sunday’s Holy Mass. I pray for the victims of this absurd violence, even more ferocious in that it has been inflicted upon defenseless people gathered in God’s house, which is a house of love and reconciliation.”

The level of incivility in our national dialogue has reached a crescendo. Catholics in Iraq specifically link the violence against them by Muslim extremists to anti-Muslim demonstrations and threats to burn the Koran in the United States. Our actions have consequences far beyond our control.

Hatred begins in the heart and is then expressed in words and ultimately turns into violence. People of goodwill can and will disagree. Others should not be vilified or punished for holding an opposing view.

Change must begin with each of us. I call upon all Catholics to tone down the level of hatred in their comments and conversations.

Let us pray for our brothers and sisters who are suffering for their Faith.

Churches of ancient foundation

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A truly unique meeting is underway at the Vatican this week, the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East. It is unique because it is bringing together leaders of the various Eastern Rite Catholic Churches, which the Holy Father refers to as the “Churches of ancient foundation.”

Among the 177 council fathers are: His Beatitude Cardinal Nasrallah Pierre Sfeir, Patriarch of Antioch of the Maronites, Lebanon; His Beatitude Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Iraq; His Beatitude Ignace Youssif III Younan, Patriarch of Antioch of the Syrians, Lebanon; His Beatitude Antonios Naguib, Patriarch of Alexandria of the Copts, Egypt, Archbishop Joseph Soueif of Cyprus of the Maronites, Cyprus, and Archbishop Elias Chacour of Akka of the Greek-Melkites, Israel.

Sadly, these ancient Catholic churches are largely “off the radar” for those of us in the Western Catholic tradition but they represent the most ancient Christian traditions as the early church adapted the gospel message to various cultures. Oftentimes they are mistakenly equated with the Orthodox churches, which are not in union with the Pope.

Unfortunately the Christian presence in the Middle East is diminishing rapidly. Most of these ancient churches are in predominantly Muslim countries and are a small and sometimes unwelcome minority. In the words of the Chaldean Archbishop of Kirkuk in Iraq: “The fatal exodus afflicting our churches cannot be avoided, emigration is the biggest challenge which threatens our presence.”

Within our diocese a number of these “Churches of ancient foundation” have been established and we are richer for their presence. Among them are Syro-Malabar and Syro-Malankara Catholics, Thomas Christians from India, Ruthenian and Ukrainian Byzantine churches and Maronites. Many individual Eastern Rite Catholics have moved to North Texas and attend Latin Rite churches.

Pope Benedict XVI has called upon the Middle Eastern countries to be more welcoming to the Christians in their populations and to extend to them the protections they need. There is a real danger that Christianity could be extinguished in the lands where Jesus and the Apostles brought the light of faith.

We must welcome these brothers and sisters among us and pray for the survival of all Catholic churches in their homelands.