Church torched by Muslims in Cairo Egypt
ROME, DEC. 24, 2011 (Zenit.org).- For Christians in so many countries around the world — Iraq, Pakistan, Egypt, and others — and even for Christians in Bethlehem, the celebration of Christmas means facing particular difficulty.
In Iraq, for example, where another round of suicide bombings on Thursday killed some 70 people, there will be no Midnight Mass.
Iraq’s Christians spend Christmas in “great fear,” Archbishop Louis Sako, the Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Kirkuk, northern Iraq, told Aid to the Church in Need.
Christian prisoners in China
He said that it will not be possible to hold Midnight Mass because of the high security risk — all services over the festive period will be held in daylight — and Christians are not displaying Christmas decorations outside their homes.
In Pakistan, meanwhile, the Fides news agency reported that more than 2,500 police will be protecting Christian churches during Christmas. Local sources told the agency that some 430 churches in Pakistan will have “special security measures.”
Victim of Christmas Day Muslim Terrorist bombat St. Theresa's Catholic Church in Nigeria
“There are about 2,500 police, including snipers, to protect the faithful Christians at Christmas,” said a police spokesman in Lahore, in Punjab, home to the majority of Christians and their places of worship. “We have given priority to 38 churches, 20 of which are widely attended by foreign Christians participating in the Christmas Mass.”
Christians make up about 3% of the Pakistani population. As reported to Fides by official sources, over the past five years, nearly 5,000 people have been victims of attacks by fundamentalist groups in Pakistan: a quarter of the victims are Christians.
Few local Christians left in Bethlehem where Jesus was born. Two praying at place of Nativity.
In Bethlehem, few Christians remain to celebrate Christmas at the site of Jesus’ birth. [The Christians are squeezed between two forces: Israel and Muslims. They are leaving in droves.]
But Christmas “is an opportunity to encourage [these Christians] to stay there,” said the Franciscan custos of the Holy Land, Father Pierbattista Pizzaballa, “and become more anchored to their town and to their identity.”
Imagine Christians in China, North Korea and many other such places. Lord, bless them all.
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The world did it even recognize the Saviour King, God-man, who was born one silent night, because we were all too busy with worldly affairs. The Holy Family was not even given an inn to stay… But No one and Nothing can stand in the way of God’s Love. Today, Christians are oppressed and persecuted at all fronts, even by those within the Church. We pray for one another as we celebrate Our King who is to come, Victorious and Mighty, to judge All men! May we all continue the preparation and let’s fight a good fight! God has won!