Christian Persecution Is So Bad That It’s Approaching ‘Genocide,’ Says British Cleric

‘Christianity now faces the possibility of being wiped-out in parts of the Middle East,’ says Philip Mounstephen. Servus Tuus / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 4.0 Aaron Homer) Religion Aaron Homer Christians are so persecuted that in some parts of the world it’s tantamount to genocide, an Anglican bishop claims in a new report.

As BBC News reports, the Right Reverend Philip Mounstephen, the Bishop of Truro, was tasked with documenting persecution of Christians worldwide. His new report, published this week, paints a gruesome picture. “In some regions, the level and nature of persecution is arguably coming close to meeting the international definition of genocide, according to that adopted by the UN.” Phil Gurski @borealissaves Sri Lankan officials say they are “95 percent finished” with the Easter Sunday terrorism investigation and feel confident that they have arrested nearly all the accomplices – IS role becoming much clearer and more detailed https://www.nytimes.com/2019/05/03/world/asia/sri-lanka-attacks-isis.html?smid=nytcore-ios-share … 2 9:55 PM – May 3, 2019 Twitter Ads info and privacy The burial of a victim of the Easter Sunday bomb blasts at Sellakanda Catholic Cemetery in Negombo, Sri Lanka, last month. ‘We Knew What Was Coming’: Sri Lanka Sees ISIS’ Hand in Attacks After years of warnings, the travel patterns of several suspects and the design of their bombs suggest a larger Islamic State role in the Easter attacks. nytimes.com See Phil Gurski’s other TweetsThe problem is particularly pronounced in the Middle East, where Christians are often forced into exile lest they risk being put to death. In Iraq, for example, there were an estimated 1.5 million Christians prior to 2003; now that number is down to an estimated 120,000. In Syria the Christian population has declined from 1.7 million in 2011 to below 450,000 at last count. And in Palestine, Christians represent less than 1.5 percent of the population.