According to persecution watchdog, International Christian Concern, some 23 people were murdered in the attacks, which were perpetrated with machetes and firearms. “It was bad. They killed over 20 people. Some were killed by gunshots and some by machete hacks!”
(Will Maule – Faith Wire) Vice President Mike Pence has issued an “urgent call” to assist the persecuted Church around the globe. Speaking at the “Help the Persecuted” summit in Washington D.C. Friday, Pence said that “No people of faith face greater hostility or hatred than followers of Christ” and called on American Christians to stand with them.
“In more than 100 countries, from Iran to Eritrea, over 245 million Christians confront intimidation, imprisonment, forced conversion, abuse, assault or worse simply for holding onto the truths of the gospel” Pence explained. “In Iraq, we see monasteries demolished, priests and monks beheaded, and the 2-millenia-old Christian tradition in Mosul clinging for survival.”
He continued: “In Syria, we see ancient communities burned to the ground and believers tortured for confessing the name of Christ. It’s heart-breaking to think that the Christian population in Syria has been cut in half in just the past six years, and many of those who remain have been displaced from their ancient homes. In Iraq, the followers of Christ have fallen by 80 percent in the past decade and a half.”
Help the Persecuted is an organization dedicated to identifying and assisting persecuted Christians across the globe, reaching more than 25,000 individuals and their families since 2011.