Pope Francis is probably doing more than all other world leaders combined to keep the plight of persecuted Middle Eastern Christians before the world’s indifferent eyes. On Sunday, he appealed for the release of kidnapped clergy in Syria: men all but forgotten amid the ever-increasing horrors of that country’s civil war.
Francis is also using the Holy See’s diplomatic machinery, largely unseen, to improve the lot of Christian refugees on the fringes of Syria and Iraq.
The facts are, by now, well established. More Christians are suffering religious persecution in the Middle East today than at any time since early history, according to the Pew Research Center. At the start of the 20th century, the faithful represented 20 per cent of the population; now, they make up just five per cent. At the present rate of attrition, the region’s 12 million Christians are likely to be reduced to six million by 2020.
