‘Every five minutes, a Christian dies in the Middle East’

Last updated on: December 12, 2014 at 11:47 am by CNA Daily News

‘Every five minutes, a Christian dies in the Middle East’ 2014-12-12T11:47:00+00:00 CNA Daily News

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Madrid, Spain, Dec 12, 2014 / 04:47 am (CNA/EWTN News).- Fr. Gabriel Nadaf is a priest of the Greek Orthodox Church. He lives in Nazareth and faces death threats for publicizing the state of Christians in the Middle East.

Fr. Nadaf has a 24-hour security escort, the highest level of protection offered by Israeli authorities. However, during his recent trip to Spain, he told CNA that he is not afraid and has come “to make the voices of Christians in the East heard.”

“What is happening in the Middle East is genocide, and it is happening today, now,” Fr. Nadaf said. “Every five minutes, a Christian dies in the Middle East, and Muslim leaders know it.”

“I have been screaming this for years while the world remains silent,” he stressed, adding that the region is being “emptied of Christians, and that is where their faith was born.”

The persecution of Christians has drawn attention from Pope Francis in recent months and was the subject of “The Global War on Christians,” a 2013 book by noted Vatican analyst John Allen, who wrote that 11 Christians have been killed every hour, every day, for the past decade. Attention to the plight of Christians in the Middle East has also risen with the escalation of ISIS.

Yet many advocates say there is still not enough awareness – or action – on behalf of the persecuted Christians, particularly those in the Middle East.

In response to this situation, Fr. Nadaf proposes that Christian leaders sign a clear declaration to confront the genocide.

“What they are doing is not enough. Something needs to be done to save them,” he said, including the sending of troops “to protect the Christians there.”

The priest said that Israel is one of the only Middle Eastern countries where Christians can live safely, despite being a minority within the minorities.

“In Israel, Christians are not killed, their churches are not burned, their female believers are not raped.” Christians must stay in Israel in order to strengthen their presence in the Middle East, he said.

“Even though Christians in Israel are a minority, we enjoy a high quality of life,” Father Nadaf continued. “But the most important thing is that we have a democracy and freedom of worship. When voices are raised against the state of Israel, this shows that there is a healthy democracy. Because in Islamic countries, which are located very close to us, the opposite happens.”

Although Israel is a country of limited geographical territory, its population is very diverse. It includes some 6 million Jews, 1.3 million Muslims and 160,000 Christians.

Israel recently decided to recognize Israeli Christians as a distinct ethnicity, rather than classifying them as Arabs or Palestinians. Fr. Nadaf said this new classification “gives Christians permission and rights for those who wish to return to their roots and their nationality. I am one of them.”

“The state of Israel grants rights to all of its citizens. What is missing is love between each other because we are still not united,” he continued.

Fr. Nadaf also reflected on his own faith and journey to the priesthood. Born in Nazareth, he went to Salesian Catholic schools.

“I have a great relationship with the Salesians because they taught me my values from childhood. There I discovered that I had to serve the Church and become a priest,” he said.

Even though his parents were against his desire to be a priest, Fr. Nadaf was ordained in 1995 in the Greek Orthodox Church. “At that time there were no young priests, I was the first and I was 22 years old. I put into practice what I learned at the Salesian schools with that spirit,” he recalled.

Europe

Previous Post

December 12, 2014

Sister Cristina gives Pope Francis a copy of her music album

Next Post

December 12, 2014 Our Lady of Guadalupe Mass draws thousands in LA

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category Americas Asia - Pacific Europe Middle East - Africa Uncategorized US Vatican

Select a Month November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Which religious tradition sees the Genesis flood story as parallel to the Epic of Gilgamesh?

Select your answer to see how you score.

Ancient Mesopotamian religion Hinduism Greek mythology Zoroastrianism