The impact of extremism on Christians in the Middle East was laid bare recently in a speech by a leading Vatican expert on Islam who appealed for action to safeguard the Church's presence in a region where its survival is under threat, writes John Newton.
Making the keynote address at the Birmingham Oratory at an event on June 27 organised by Aid to the Church in Need, Fr Samir Khalil Samir spelled out the problem of extremism, both in the Middle East and the West.
Focusing mostly on the Middle East, the Egyptian-born Jesuit, who is based in Lebanon, categorised countries in the region according to a sliding scale of anti-Christian oppression, with Saudi Arabia being the worst. Fr Samir, who is coordinating preparations for this autumn's Middle East Synod of Bishops, in Rome, said: "Christians in Saudi Arabia cannot even gather in their houses to pray. This is the worst situation where human rights are practically unknown."
