Violence against Christians in the East “seems to be raging … with a diabolical intensity previously unknown,” according to Pope Leo XIV. Source: Crux.
The pontiff said it was “truly distressing” to see the principle of “might makes right” prevailing in so many of today’s situations, “all for the sake of legitimising the pursuit of self-interest.”
He was speaking in the Vatican yesterday with members of the Aid Agencies for the Oriental Churches (ROACO).
ROACO is a Vatican committee that unites funding agencies from various countries around the world to provide assistance in different areas, including building churches, creating scholarships, establishing houses of study and formation, and founding social and health care facilities.
“I thank you because, together with all your benefactors, you are sowing seeds of hope in the lands of the Christian East, which today, as never before, are devastated by wars, plundered by special interests, and covered by a cloud of hatred that renders the air unbreathable and toxic,” Leo said.
“You provide a breath of oxygen to the Eastern Churches, so worn down by the conflicts in course. For many people, poor in means but rich in faith, you are a light that shines amid the dark shadows of hatred. I ask you with all my heart to continue to do everything possible to help these Churches, so precious and so greatly afflicted,” he added.
The Pope said the history of the Eastern Catholic Churches “has often been marked by suffering and violence.”
“Sadly, there have also been instances of oppression and misunderstanding within the Catholic community itself, which at times failed to acknowledge and appreciate the value of traditions other than those of the West. Yet today, violent conflict seems to be raging in the Christian East with a diabolical intensity previously unknown,” Leo said.
The Pope mentioned the violence in the Holy Land and Ukraine, which he said was “ravaged by the spread of war.”
“All of us, by virtue of our humanity, are called upon to examine the causes of these conflicts, to identify those that are real and to attempt to resolve them,” he said, specifically condemning the spread of “fake news” and its effect on “emotional manipulation.”
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Violence against Eastern Christians is growing with ‘diabolical intensity,’ says Pope Leo (By Charles Collins, Crux)
