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Photo by Ninos Toma
Up to 2,000 people joined in Saturday's peaceful prayer vigil at Parliament Square for the suffering Christians in Iraq. The vigil was supported by Aid to the Church in Need and other organizations. A delegation then went down Whitehall to present a petition at 10 Downing Street. Some participants chanted ''Save the Christians of Iraq'' and ''Save the Christians of the Middle East''. A similar event, with around 100 participants, occured in Paris last week.
Although we could not get to London for the vigil, Torch of The Faith joined in prayer with the Angelus and Rosary on Saturday at 12 noon.
Sadly, in common with the violent de-Christianization of Mosul by ISIS, the London prayer-event has been largely ignored by mainstream media in the UK.
Independent Catholic News reports that some Muslims joined the event to show solidarity with the suffering Christians. Two female Muslim students told ICN that they have family in Mosul and that they are very shocked by what is happening to their neighbours, after many years of peaceful co-existence.
Some years ago, we met a beautiful young family of Iraqi Catholics in Lourdes. They live in the UK and are very committed to living and sharing the Faith through evangelization and orthodox catechesis. A member of that family has sent images to a mutual friend, which appear to show Christian men who have been crucified in Iraq by ISIS radicals.
Lord Alton of Liverpool has called on the world to urgently awaken to the plight of the ancient Christian communities of Iraq, as they face the threat of mass murder and mass displacement. He noted that some Christians have had their fingers chopped off by ISIS fighters intent on stealing their wedding rings. He also spoke out about the beheading and crucifixion of Muslims who had dared to defend their Christian neighbours. In the face of all these atrocities, Lord Alton has called for the intervention of the UN Security Council.
The situation in Iraq is dire and is being largely ignored by Church leaders, governments and media outlets in the West. Please keep interceding for the poor Christians in Iraq and for those who suffer with them.
