Bishop issue urgent call
against Christian genocide

Kurdish women mourn during a funeral ceremony in Sirnak, Turkey. The U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee March 2 unanimously passed two bipartisan measures to address war crimes and genocide in Middle East.

Refik Tekin,Catholic News Service

WASHINGTON—The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops' (USCCB) Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, issued an urgent call, March 14, to support a petition to stop genocide in the Middle East and convince the U.S. Department of State to include Christians in any formal declaration of genocide.

The call to action was issued days before the U.S. Department of State is expected to make a decision on the issue, and as a congressional resolution gains support in Congress.

"For months, the Catholic Church has been a voice for Christians and other religious minorities facing the evil of deadly persecution," Archbishop Kurtz said. "Please, make sure your name is added to the witness. The very future of the ancient Christian presence in the Middle East is at stake."

The petition is available at: stopthechristiangenocide.org . . . .

Archbishop Kurtz' full statement follows:

Today, the people of God must speak up for our brothers and sisters facing genocide in the Middle East. I urge every Catholic to sign the petition at stopthechristiangenocide.org. As a people of faith, we must convince the United States Department of State to include Christians in any formal declaration of genocide.

For months, the Catholic Church has been a voice for Christians and other religious minorities facing the evil of deadly persecution. Now, the State Department is expected to make a decision within days. A resolution, H. Con. Res. 75, is also gaining bipartisan support in Congress. Please, make sure your name is added to the witness. The very future of the ancient Christian presence in the Middle East is at stake.

I am grateful to my brother bishops, the Knights of Columbus and all the faithful who have struggled to keep a focus on suffering Christians in the national debate. Rest assured of my continued prayers and support.

With each passing day, the roll of modern martyrs grows. While we rejoice in their ultimate victory over death through the power of Jesus' love, we must also help our fellow Christians carry the Cross of persecution and, as much as possible, help relieve their suffering. By doing so, the Middle East and the world will be made safer for people of every faith to live in peace.