21 Egyptian Martyrs: None belong to the Iglesia Ni Cristo® which they believed is the most persecuted "Christian church" in the world

Contrary to what the Iglesia Ni Cristo® believed that their church is the most persecuted church in the world (hardly even noticed in the world) none, so far among the victims of ISIS from Iraq to Egypt, and to Sydney, Paris and Oslo, was a member of the FAKE "true Church"-- the INC™ of Manalo, therefore debunking their claim as purely a LIE and DECEITFUL, again to demonize the REAL CHURCH of CHRIST-- the CATHOLIC CHURCH! 

As a matter of fact, the INC™ of Manalo believed that such persecution only proves and guarantees the authenticity of that Church as THE [only] TRUE CHURCH of JESUS! (Pasugo November 1954, p.2, 1)

Christians murdered in Libya whispered name of Jesus before death, bishop says

Bishop Antonios Aziz Mina of Giza echoed Pope Francis by hailing the 21 Coptic Christians killed by ISIS as martyrs

Catholic Herald: The 21 Coptic Christians who were beheaded by ISIS militants died as martyrs, invoking the name of Jesus, said an Egyptian Catholic bishop.

In line with Pope Francis’s assertion at morning Mass on February 17, Bishop Antonios Aziz Mina of Giza told the Fides news agency that the “diabolical” video of the Christians’ massacre, intended to “spread terror,” was a testament to their martyrdom in the faith.

The video of their beheading, released on Sunday, shows that “in the moment of their barbaric execution”, some of the Christians were repeating the words “Lord, Jesus Christ,” he said.

“The name of Jesus was the last word on their lips,” said Bishop Mina before adding that, like the early Church martyrs, “they entrusted themselves to the one who would receive them soon after. That name, whispered in the last moments, was like the seal of their martyrdom.”

Following the news of the murders in Libya, Christians in the various dioceses of Egypt began praying and fasting, as the government called for seven days of national mourning. Several Egyptian bishops have spoken about constructing churches, dedicated to the 21 martyrs, in their dioceses.

Egyptian Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab announced President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi would arrange state funds for the construction of a church dedicated to the 21 martyrs in the Egyptian city of Minya, from which many of the victims hailed. In addition, by presidential decree, the victims’ families will receive financial compensation for the death of their loved ones (about $13,000), as well as a monthly stipend. The families are asking that the remains of their loved ones be returned to Egypt for burial.

Al-Sisi, who also has referred to the 21 Christians as “martyrs,” paid a personal visit to Coptic Orthodox Pope Tawadros II on Monday to extend his condolences. Pope Francis extended his condolences to Pope Tawadros in a phone call the same day.

Back in Libya, members of the Catholic community resolved to stay put, despite the killings and the emphatic calls from various authorities to evacuate the country.

“Few of us remain,” said Latin-rite Bishop Giovanni Martinelli of Tripoli, Libya. He told Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelisation of Peoples, on Tuesday that many of those who remain are female Philippine nurses, who have decided to stay because of the dire medical needs in the city after the evacuation of the medical staff at the private St James Hospital.

“It is for them that I remain,” the bishop said. “At this time, the situation is calm, but we do not know how things will evolve. Anyway, as I have said many times, so long as there is one Christian here, I will remain.”

ISIS Declares War On The Vatican, And Says, “Muslims will be at war with the Roman Christians”.

Will the IGLESIA NI CRISTO® of FELIX Y. MANALO and other anti-Catholics come for the defense of the CHURCH IN ROME against Muslims? -CD2000

URGENT: ISIS threatens to invade Rome and fly its flag over the Vatican (IraqiNews.com)

By Theodore Shoebat

ISIS has now declared war on the Vatican in their manifesto, which contains numerous details on their plans to invade Rome. In their manifesto they quote one of ISIS’ spokesman Shaykh Abū Muhammad al-’Adnānī ash-Shāmī as saying:

O soldiers of the Islam- ic State, be ready for the final campaign of the crusaders. Yes, by Allah’s will, it will be the final one. Thereafter, we will raid them by Allah’s per- mission and they will not raid us… And so we promise you (crusaders) by Allah’s permission that this campaign will be your final campaign. It will be broken and defeated, just as all your previous campaigns were broken and defeated, except that this time we will raid you thereafter, and you will never raid us. We will conquer your Rome, break your crosses, and enslave your women, by the permission of Allah, the Exalted. This is His prom- ise to us; He is glorified and He does not fail in His promise. If we do not reach that time, then our children and grandchildren will reach it, and they will sell your sons as slaves at the slave market

Moreover, ISIS makes it clear that Rome is their main target, stating that their jihad will not end until Rome is fully taken, and thus making Rome their top priority:

Finally, do not forget that Allah is with the Mus- lims and will never abandon them to His ene- mies. And the Islamic State will remain until its banner flies over Rome.

They go on to quote al-Qaeda agent Abū Hamzah al-Muhājir, when he spoke of a future Islamic conquest of Rome:

…by Allah, we will not rest from our jihād until we are under the olive trees of Rome, after we destroy the filthy house called the White House

Notice how he says the conquest of Rome will happen after they conquer the White House, and notice how he says that they will not rest until they conquer Rome. Again, this places Rome as the major priority of the Muslim expansion. They continue on to say that Rome does not just signify the Vatican or the Italian city, but the Christians of Europe in general, and that after the Muslims defeat them, then they will take the city of Rome:

the Muslims will be at war with the Roman Christians. Rome in the Arabic tongue of the Prophet (sallallāhu ‘alayhi wa sallam) refers to the Christians of Europe and their colonies in Shām prior to the conquering of Shām at the hands of the Sahābah. There will be a pause in this war due to a truce or treaty. … Then the Romans will commit treachery by raising the cross and killing a Muslim. This will lead to the continuation of the war between the Muslims and the Romans. They will demand access to those who enslaved some of them or the former captives themselves who accept- ed Islam so as to fight them. This enslavement will have taken place either before the signing of the truce or after the treachery, and Allah knows best. These events all lead up to the final, greatest, and bloodiest battle – al-Malhamah al- Kubrā – between the Muslims and the Romans prior to the appearance of the Dajjāl and the descent of al-Masīh. This battle ends the era of the Roman Christians, as the Muslims will then advance upon Constantinople and thereafter Rome, to conquer the two cities and raise the flag of the Khilāfah over them.

The Holy League, a confederacy of Catholic nations (that consisted mainly of Spain and Italy) that formed in the late 16th century to fight the Ottoman Turks, will rise again. This is not just some utopian dream, but an event foretold by God; for in the Book of Daniel it says,

For the ships of Chittim shall come against him: therefore he shall be grieved, and return, and have indignation against the holy covenant: so shall he do; he shall even return, and have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant. (Daniel 11:30)

Chittim consists of Cyprus, Greece, and Italy. The New King James renders it as “ships from Cyprus”, while the Douay-Rheims presents the passage as, “And the galleys and the Romans shall come upon him”. The Greeks, Cypriots, and Italians will be appointed by God to fight the Muslim armies of the Antichrist. The Greeks and the Cypriots are Eastern Orthodox, while the Italians are Roman Catholics.

The holy centurion, Cornelius, was amongst the first warriors to join the fold of Christianity, and he was “of that which is called the Italian band” (Acts 10:1). And the Italians of today, the inheritors of that mighty Cornelius, will be amongst the forces who will fight the Antichrist.

The Catholic world will therefore join forces with the Eastern Orthodox world, and together they will combat and crush the empire of the revived Ottomans and their Islamic confederacy. It will be a holy war; the Cross will be our banner; our souls will be armed with the Sword of the Spirit, and the hilt of the sword will be gripped in the thrall of mighty Christendom! The Holy League will rise again, and the New Crusade will end with the sword stained by pagan blood!

The New Crusade will be one based on Christianity, its foundation will be Orthodox theology; it will unsheathe the sword of truth and the eternal blade of the Spirit, and through Christ the warriors will sternly charge and conquer their enemies.

The Story of Martin Baani: the Iraqi seminarian who will not leave his people

No courage can be found, except in the Church of Christ - the One, Holy, Catholic, Apostolic Church of Christ. May kaanib ba ang Iglesia Ni Cristo^® sa Iraq? Kung OFW na INC 'yan, sigurado ko nagpatulong na sa gobyerno ng Pilipinas para iligtas! -CD2000

By John Pontifex

Erbil, Iraq, (CNS/Aid to the Church in Need).- Bombs are falling and the sound of the explosion is sending shock and fear into the hearts of the people. Amid the sound of crying and frenzied activity, people pack up what belongings they can carry and make off into the night.

In the midst of it all, on the night of Aug. 6, stands Martin Baani, a 24-year-old seminarian. It’s dawning on him that this is Karamlesh’s last stand.

For 1,800 years, Christianity has had a home in the hearts and minds of the people of this town so full of antiquity. Now that era is about to be brought to a calamitous end; Islamic State are advancing.

Martin’s mobile phone rings: a friend stammers out the news that the nearby town of Telkaif has fallen to “Da’ash” – the Arabic name for Islamic State. Karamlesh would surely be next.

Martin dashes out of his aunt’s house, where he is staying, and heads for the nearby St Addai’s Church. He takes the Blessed Sacrament, a bundle of official papers, and walks out of the church. Outside a car awaits – his parish priest, Father Thabet, and three other priests are inside.

Martin gets in and the car speeds off. They leave Karamlesh and the last remnants of the village’s Christian presence go with them.

Speaking to Martin in the calm of St. Peter’s Seminary, Ankawa – a suburb of the Kurdish regional capital of Erbil – it is difficult to imagine he is describing anything except a bad dream. But there is nothing dreamy in Martin’s expression. “Until the very last minute, the Peshmerga were telling us it was safe.”

“But then we heard that they were setting up big guns on St Barbara’s Hill (on the edge of the village) and we knew then the situation had become very dangerous.”

Taking stock of that terrible night, Martin’s confidence is bolstered by the presence of 27 other seminarians at St. Peter’s, many with their own stories of escape from the clutches of the Islamic militants.

Martin and his fellow students for the priesthood know that the future is bleak as regards Christianity in Iraq. A community of 1.5 million Christians before 2003 has dwindled to less than 300,000. And of those who remain, more than a third are displaced. Many, if not most, want a new life in a new country.

Martin, however, is not one of them. “I could easily go,” he explains calmly. “My family now live in California. I already have been given a visa to go to America and visit them.”

“But I want to stay. I don’t want to run away from the problem.”

Martin has already made the choice that marks out the priests who have decided to stay in Iraq: his vocation is to serve the people, come what may.

“We must stand up for our rights; we must not be afraid,” he explains.

Describing in detail the emergency relief work that has occupied so much of his time, it is plain to see that he feels his place is to be with the people.

Martin is already a subdeacon. Now in his final year of theology, ordination to the priesthood is but a few months away.

“Thank you for your prayers,” says Martin, as I take my leave of him. “We count on your support.”

John Pontifex is a senior journalist for Aid to the Church in Need, an international Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy See, providing assistance to the suffering and persecuted Church in more than 140 countries.

US Home Security: We must tell the truth about ISIS because President Obama won’t"

And the truth is that ISIS’ core appeal is in its Islamic identity, and it is that identity that makes ISIS so dangerous.

FoxNews - In his address to the nation last week, President Obama declared to the nation — to the world — that ISIS (also known as ISIL, the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant) was not Islamic.

Across the globe, jaws dropped.

It’s not my purpose today to cite chapter and verse why President Obama is wrong. Pundits have been doing that for days. Instead, I want to focus on the deeper question: Why is ISIS’ Islamic identity critical to its appeal to the Muslim world?

The truth is that ISIS’ core appeal is in its Islamic identity, and it is that identity that makes ISIS so dangerous.

After all, if ISIS isn’t “Islamic,” then tens of thousand of devout young Muslims wouldn’t be flocking to its banner.

If ISIS isn’t “Islamic,” then opposing Islamic militias would swell with the ranks of the faithful, eager to root out the apostates in their midst.

Instead, however, ISIS grows, its various jihadist rivals shrink and the U.S. is under the greatest threat since 9/11.

Understanding ISIS’ Islamic identity is critical to understanding the true dimensions of its appeal to Muslims and its growing international power.

This summer, as the ISIS challenge was just beginning to emerge, I traveled to Oxford University’s Harris Manchester College, along with key members of our American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) “law of war” team. There, we launched an in-depth study of ISIS, its motivations and its capabilities. We turned the papers we created into a book, "Rise of ISIS: A Threat We Can’t Ignore."

We combined our academic study with on-the-ground experience in Iraq and years of international legal experience combating jihadists in international tribunals to tell the truth — the whole truth — about ISIS.

And the truth is that ISIS’ core appeal is in its Islamic identity, and it is that identity that makes ISIS so dangerous... continue reading

"WE HOPE TO CONQUER THE VATICAN" - Muslim Scholar

Muslims want to DOMINATE the World. Let's pray Lord protect your Church. Protect your people!

Photo Source: Magdi Alam

Why Do Muslims Behead People? by Fr. Dwight Longenecker

Are the brutal beheadings done by ISIS fanatics connected with their religion?

Douglas Murray, writing here at the Spectator discusses the reluctance of any of the intelligentsia to discuss the reason for the barbarism of radical Muslims. Murray was on a BBC discussion program with a group of intellectuals who were debating the deteriorating situation in Iraq. Murray tried to make the point that there was a real link between the Islamic religion and violence.

I was once again struck – in a discussion in what remains a free country with a right of free speech – by the desperate efforts to not explore, indeed to shut down, discussion heading in one particular direction.

Myriam, as ever, remained insistent on the oft-repeated line that the bad guys are ‘misinterpreting’ Islam. But it was Lord Winston’s attempt to stop any linkage between the actions of groups like ISIS and the religion of Islam which struck me far more. Lord Winston is a scientist. In any other sphere he would be eager to follow a trail of thought, evidence, discovery and logic. But not here. ‘It’s not to do with Islam’ he scolded Ann Leslie and then me. ‘This is not a British problem and it’s not an Islamic problem either.’ True, it’s not only any one of those things. But it is partly those things, isn’t it?

Towards the end I made the point I keep trying to make – which is that although the radicals like the murderer of James Foley have what is obviously the worst interpretation of Islam, it is nevertheless a plausible interpretation.

Yes, yes, we all agree that the majority of Muslims are nice, kind people who don’t cut people’s heads off. However, Murray makes the point that the be-headings are warranted by Islamic Scriptures and by the example of the prophet Mohammed himself. He admits that the problem is complex, but at least part of the reason Muslim fanatics behead their enemies is because the Koran tells them to. Murray continues:

TO THE IGLESIA NI CRISTO de MANALO-1914: The Persecuted CHRISTIANS in Iraq are CATHOLICS-- not members of your fake church! That's the reason why you don't want to help them! SHAME ON YOU!!

... so where is your INC charities for the suffering Christians in Iraq? Where is your CHARITY DRIVE? I bet you will not donate a single cent because they are CATHOLICS!

Your Charity Drive Campaign is all HYPOCRISY!

EXCLUSIVE: Pope Calls Iraqi Priest to Express His Closeness to Persecuted Christians

ZENIT - Pope Francis has telephoned an Iraqi priest working in a refugee camp in the war-torn northern part of the country to express his closeness to persecuted Christians in the region, ZENIT has learned.

The Pope made the call after the priest, Father Behnam Benoka, sent a message to the Holy Father via the “Viber” messaging system. The message was sent to Rome-based journalist Alan Holdren who turned it into a letter and handed it to Pope Francis on the papal flight back from South Korea.

In the message, Father Behnam turns to the "Holy Father, our merciful shepherd" and writes: "My name is Behnam Benoka, priest of Bartella, a small Christian town near Mosul. I am vice-rector of the Catholic seminary in Ankawa. Today, however, I find myself in a tent that has been erected with a staff of doctors and volunteers who are giving medical care to our brothers fleeing persecution."

Father Behnam explained to the Pope the tragic situation faced by hundreds of thousands of Christians: "Your holiness,” he writes, “the situation of your sheep is miserable, they are dying and they are hungry. Your little ones are scared and cannot hide anymore. We priests and religious are few and fear not being able to meet the physical and mental needs of your and our children."

The priest does not fail to express gratitude to the Pope’s continued appeals to end the suffering of persecuted brothers and sisters in Iraq. "I would like to thank you so much – really thank you – because you always carry us in your heart, placing us on the altar where Mass is celebrated so that God erases our sins and has mercy on us, and hopefully take this cup away from us."

The letter continues by expressing concerns and asking for a blessing: "I am writing with tears, because here we are, in a dark valley in the middle of a large pack of ferocious wolves. Holiness, I'm afraid of losing your children, especially infants who are struggling every day and weaken more and more. I'm afraid that death will take some away. Send us your blessing so we have the strength to go on and maybe still resist. I love you, Behnam Benoka."

Francis' reply was not long in coming. A day after his return to Italy, precisely on the morning of 19 August, the Pope called Father Behnam to express how deeply moved he was by the letter. According to what he told us, the Pope expressed his gratitude for the volunteers at work in the refugee camps.

In the telephone conversation, the Pope also reiterated his full support and closeness to the persecuted Christians, promising that he will continue to do his utmost to help give relief to their suffering. Finally, he imparted his apostolic blessing asking the Lord for the gift of perseverance in the faith.