The Voice of the suffering and persecuted​

“I am happy to live my life as a young Catholic. Although we are a minority—with people around us who are all Muslims—we can live together.”

“Know that God sees your tears and knows what you are going through; He has vowed not to leave you orphans. So, brace up and take courage.”

“The whole of the Middle East is being convulsed by violence, corruption and political upheaval. It is blighted by sin. It is Jesus who forgives these sins and heals the wounds. Who can give this restless and corrupt region Jesus other than the Christians? We are therefore not only Christians—but also disciples of forgiveness and love.”

“Though so many died and despite all the destruction of property, no one betrayed Christ. We stood firm in our faith. We were able to face this terror only because God was with us. “

He attributes his family’s survival to the aid of the Melkite Church, the work of the bishops and priests: “They have done great work in the humanitarian field. They provide cash aid and monthly food baskets, which is how we survived these past six years.”

“I am afraid that the same thing will happen to us again—that ISIS will return.”

“We are considered the lowest ranking members of society, people with whom Muslims are not allowed to eat or drink. School text books paint a terrible picture of Christians, too.”

“Hearing the appeal by Pope Francis to be [for the churches to become] ‘field hospitals,’ many of our parishes have given shelter to those seeking safety and help to the injured.”

“The truth is that there are some genuine faithful among those North Koreans who come to Mass in Changchung Cathedral. Though attendees are mobilized by the North Korean regime, I believe that some of them are real Catholic faithful.”

“Christians in Iraq and Syria, in particular, have been threatened with extinction and need all the help they can get.”