Kung Sino ang Inuusig ang Siyang Tunay na Iglesia - Pasugo

Originally posted at Iglesia ni Cristo blog

“Hindi kailangang patunayan pa kung hindi tunay na Iglesia, kung ito'y kay Cristo o hindi. Ang pag-uusig na nagaganap sa INK, na siyang katuparan ng pinagpauna ng Panginoon ay siyang malinaw na katunayan na ang INK ay tunay na Iglesia at kay Cristo. Anu-ano ang mga kinathang kasinungalingan na ipinaparatang kay Jesus an nakasisirang puri! Hindi lamang nila sinasabing siya'y may demonyo, kundi pinaparatangang siya'y nauulol (Juan 15:20). Kung siya'y inusig tao man ay uusigin din. Ang pag-uusig sa Ulo at tagos hanggang sa katawan. Siya ang ulo, tayo ang mga sangkap, na siyang Iglesia." - PASUGO Nobyembre 1954, p. 1-2

Hindi lamang sa Estados Unidos ang PAG-UUSIG sa IGLESIA KATOLIKA kundi sa Pilipinas din at sa Europa, Africa, Asia at sa Africa. Inuusig siya ng mga Protestante, Muslim, Ateista, Komunista, mga makakaliwa, mga Satanista at sa Pilipinas, inuusig siya ng pamahalaan ni Duterte at ng Iglesia Ni Cristo® 1914.  At sa tuwing inuusig ito o may sakuna na ang Iglesia Katolika ang biktima, walang mapagsisidlan sa tuwa at pagsasaya ng mga kalaban ni Cristo sa pangunguna ng mga kaanib ng INC™ sa social media. Taliwas sa ikinikilos, sinasalita at ginagawa, sila ay HINDI kay Cristo! At dahil ang pamantayan ng Iglesia Ni Cristo® 1914, kung sino raw ang INUUSIG ay siyang PATUNAY na ITO ANG TUNAY NA IGLESIA NI CRISTO!

Fire at Tallahassee’s Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More adds to the growing list of attacks on churches

John Burger | Jun 07, 2019 Aleteia.org

Are incidents of church vandalism on the rise?

Cocathedralofstm | Instagram | Fair Use

A fire at Co-Cathedral of St. Thomas More, a prominent church in Tallahassee, Florida, is being investigated, and it may be the latest example of what appear to be increasing attacks against Catholic churches in the United States.

“Today, there was a fire inside the Co-Cathedral church in Tallahassee,” Bishop William A. Wack Diocese of the Pensacola-Tallahassee Diocese said in a statement Thursday. “The cathedra [bishop’s chair] and presiders’ chairs were set on fire and are destroyed. The walls of the sanctuary are charred, and there is smoke damage. Thankfully, no one was hurt, and it went out before igniting the whole building. An investigation is underway.”

“Having seen churches burn in the news, seeing this before, I didn’t ever think that this would happen to our church here,” Fr. John Cayer, the cathedral’s rector, told WCTV. “We have no idea who has done this. This is an obvious case of arson.”

A common reaction on the part of parishioners to incidents of vandalism against churches is “Why would anyone do this?”

But there might be another reason to ask why: Why does it seem like vandalism against churches is on the rise?

Recent incidents include:

• A statue of Jesus was broken apart and left in pieces in front of St. Mark’s in Boston on Sunday. Earlier in the year there was a rash of graffiti attacks at various Boston churches.

• A statue of the Virgin Mary was found defaced at St. Margaret of Scotland Church in Selden, New York, at the end of May. There was damage to the nose, chin and one of the cheeks.

• Pro-abortion graffiti was spray-painted onto Notre Dame de Lourdes church in Swarthmore, Pennsylvania, last month.

• All Saints Catholic Church in Babcock, Wisconsin, was defaced with graffiti reflecting religious hatred and pornography May 14.

• Someone spilled paint, wrote graffiti and broke windows at All Saints Catholic Church in New Richland, Minnesota, the night of May 11-12. They also spilled wine, attempted to remove a microphone from the altar and tried to break into a lock box in a back room.

• St. Matthew Catholic Church in El Paso was vandalized May 7, Earlier in the month, a window at St. Patrick Cathedral was broken, and a bottle with an unknown liquid was found near the damaged window.

• A statue of St. Bernadette was damaged at St. Philip Catholic Church in Battle Creek, Michigan, May 7.

And that’s only Catholic churches. There have also been a number of incidents at Protestant churches around the country.

According to the FBI, the number of incidents of anti-Catholic “hate crimes” has been fairly steady over the past few years. From 70 incidents in 2013, it has dipped to 53 in 2015, but has risen to 62 in 2016 and 73 in 2017, the latest year for which statistics are available.

In the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, one of the 10 largest Latin Catholic dioceses in the U.S., instances of vandalism have been low for the fiscal year beginning July 1, 2018. Only three reports of theft, burglary, and vandalism have been filed with the archdiocese’s Insurance Services Office.

“One additional instance of vandalism that the office is aware of was not reported to Insurance Services because the parish community took care of cleaning and repairs on a volunteer basis,” Alaina N. Longo, a spokeswoman for the archdiocese, said on Thursday.

Christian Post: Minutes after Sunday School class said they would die for Christ, half killed in Sri Lankan bomb blast

HOLY MARTYRS, PRAY FOR US!

News Source: Christian Post

Children during a Sunday School session at Zion Church in Batticaloa Sri Lanka. | Twitter/danishkanavin

Just minutes after expressing their willingness to die for Christ, half the children from one Sunday School class at Zion Church in Batticaloa were reportedly killed in the Easter Sunday suicide bomb attacks in Sri Lanka.

“Today was an Easter Sunday school at the church and we asked the children how many of you willing to die for Christ? Everyone raised their hands," Caroline Mahendran, a Sunday School teacher at the church, said, according to Israeli public figure Hananya Naftali. "Minutes later, they came down to the main service and the blast happened. Half of the children died on the spot.”

The report comes as the death toll from the bomb attacks on several churches and luxury hotels in the island nation, where Christians make up less than 10 percent of the 20 million population, rose to nearly 300 Monday with at least 500 wounded.

Fr. Kumaran, a pastor at Zion Church, told Times of India that he witnessed the death of many of the children shortly after arguing with the suicide bombing suspect he did not recognize.

It was about 8:30 a.m., Kumaran said, when he saw the suicide bombing suspect carrying a bag at the steps of the church already filled with worshipers.

"I asked him who he was and his name. He said he was a Muslim and wanted to visit the church," Kumaran said.

Inside Zion Church in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka, in the aftermath of a suicide bombing there on April 21, 2019. | Twitter/danishkanavin

Kumaran said he was ushered away from the encounter by other priests because it was getting late for Mass. As he walked toward the podium he heard an explosion. When he turned around, the blood of his congregants, including many from the children’s Sunday School class, was splattered on the church walls.

"Twenty-eight people were killed, among them 12 children. Two are critical," a distressed Kumaran told the publication.

Arasaratnam Verl, 41, said his 13-year-old son, V. Jackson, who is also his only child, was standing near the church entrance after attending the Sunday School class. Jackson was killed instantly.

"My elder sister was killed too. My two younger sisters and my brother-in-law are critical," Verl, a taxi driver, told Times of India.

Verl said his friend, Ramesh, who had also questioned the suicide bombing suspect and “pushed the man outside the church door," also died too as the man blew himself up shortly after that.

Outside Zion Church in Batticaloa, Sri Lanka, on April 21, 2019, after a suicide bombing. | Twitter/Garikaalan

“I have never heard the sound of a bomb explosion before. We initially thought it was the burst of a tire,” S. Vikash, 21, a medical representative who lives near the church, said. "When we realized it was an explosion, we followed the sound of fire engines and ambulances. The scene was terrifying. There was blood and body parts strewn all over. It was heart-rending to see the bodies of children."

Outside Zion Church, the bombings in Sri Lanka on Sunday also targeted St. Anthony’s Shrine in Colombo, the capital; St. Sebastian’s Church in Negombo; as well as high-end hotels in Colombo, including the Shangri-La, the Cinnamon Grand and the Kingsbury.

Fr. Kanapathipillai Deivendiran, who was scheduled to deliver the Easter Day message at Zion Church on Sunday, told The Hindu had he not been running late, he may have been killed too.

“I went a little after 9 a.m. I was a few minutes late or you will not be speaking to me now,” he said. “I didn’t know that there had been a blast a few minutes before that, I just walked into the premises. As I entered, I was shaken by the sight — walls had collapsed completely, there were bodies all over the floor,” he said.

KUNG ALING IGLESIA ANG INUUSIG AY SIYA RAW ANG TUNAY

Originally posted at Iglesia ni Cristo 33AD blog

"The Catholic Church is a worldwide force that has reigned for centuries. Through European colonialism, its influence can be found on all continents. Missionaries were an essential part of this religious expansion and although most of these countries have since gained their independence, Catholicism still reigns."  -World Atlas

Isa sa mga maraming pinaghuhugutang batayan ng mga kaanib ng INC™-1914 sa larangan ng debate ay "KUNG SINO RAW ANG INUUSIG AY SIYANG TUNAY NA IGLESIA" at sila raw 'yun.

Inuusig nga ba ng mundo ang INC™ ni Ginoong Manalo?

Ayon sa mga kaanib ng INC™ ni Ginoong Manalo na itinatag niya sa Punta, Sta. Ana Maynila, Pilipinas noong 1914, galit daw ang mga Katoliko at mga Protestante sa Iglesia Ni Cristo®, patunay raw na "tunay" ang kanilang inaaniban ayon sa  Mt. 24:9 ukol sa pag-uusig sa "iglesia" at sila (INC™-1914) nga raw iyong tinutukoy.

Isang kahibangan na naman sapagkat HINDI kailanman tinutukoy ang TATAG na iglesia ni Ginong FELIX MANALO, na inirehistro lamang sa pangalang "Iglesia Ni Cristo" bilang isang TRADEMARK!

Ayon sa Mateo 24:9 ay ganito: "Kung magkagayo'y ibibigay kayo sa kapighatian, at kayo'y papatayin: at kayo'y kapopootan ng lahat ng mga bansa dahil sa aking pangalan."

Sino na nga ba ang "pinatay" na kaanib ng INC™ ni Manalo dahil kay Cristo?

O di kaya'y INC™ ni Manalo, kinapopootan ng BUONG mundo?

Ayon sa HuffingtonPost HINDI ang Iglesia Ni Cristo® ni Ginoong Manalo ang kinapopootan ng mundo. At wala ni isa sa kanilang mga kaanib ang napatay na dahil sa kanyang pananampalataya sa INC™. Sa kanilang report noong 2013, ang pinaka-inuusig raw ay ang ang KRISTIANISMO sa Iraq, Pakistan, at iba pang mga bansang nasa ilalim ng relihiyong Islam, kasama ang North Korea na nasa ilalim ng komunismo.  Sa mga nabanggit na mga bansa sa mundo, WALA PONG INC™ roon. Takot silang mapatay. Ang mga Kristiano roon kaanib sa orihinal at tunay na Iglesia ni Cristo  na si Cristo mismo ang nagtatag ~ ang Iglesia Katolika!

Kapighatian at kamatayan at kapopootan sasainyo (Mt. 24:9)
(Photo Credit: ExpressUK)

Sa report naman ng Pew Research Center noong 2016, may 144 raw na bansang talamak ang pag-uusig sa mga Kristiano ~ tulad ng pagdiskriminasyon, verbal assault, pisikal na atake, pagkakaaresto kahit walang sala o kaya'y ang pagsara o pagsira sa kanilang mga bahay-dalanginan o  mga pook na itinuturing na banal sa mga Kristiano. Sa listahang ito makikita ang mga bansang

Muli, wala ni isang kaanib ng INC™ 1914 ang kabilang sa mga inuusig. Kaya't papaano sila ang tinutukoy na inuusig ng mundo?

INC™ 1914 and nang-uusig sa tunay na Iglesiang tatag ni Cristo!

Sa kasaysayan ng Iglesia Ni Cristo® mula nang inirehistro at opisyal na itinatag ito ni Ginoong Felix Y. Manalo noong Hulyo 27, 1914, ang kanilang SANGKALAN ay ang Iglesia Katolika.

Tulad ng pag-amin ng kanilang PASUGO Oktubre 1956, p. 1:

“Ang Iglesia ni Cristo ay nagdaos ng pamamahayag sa Lunsod ng Davao. Nagsalita roon si Kapatid na Felix Manalo at ang kasama niyang mga Ministro. Ipinahayag doon ng mga nagsalita na ang Iglesia Katolika Romana ay hindi itinatag ni Cristo kundi itinatag ng Diablo."

Halosa sa bawat limbag na kanilang opisyal na magasing Pasugo, ang inuusig nila roon ay ang Iglesia Katolika tulad nitong sinabi nila sa PASUGO Oktubre 1959, p. 5:

“Mga magdaraya at anti-Cristo, ang mga nagtuturong si Cristo ay Dios."

PASUGO Agosto 1962, p. 9:

“Kaya ang tunay na anti-Cristo, ang mga Papa ng Iglesia Katolika Apostolika Romana. At ang tunay na ampon ng anti-Cristo ay ang mga Katoliko.”

Sino ngayon ang lumalabas na INUUSIG? Lalo lamang nilang pinapalitaw na ang IGLESIA KATOLIKA ang TUNAY na Iglesia sapagkat ang Iglesia Katolika nga naman ang kinapopootan, pinapatay at inuusig ng buong mundo at kasama ang INC™ ni ginoong Felix Y. Manalo sa mga nang-uusig sa Iglesia Katolika!

At para matuldukan kung ang Iglesia Ni Cristo® ba ay kanino, kay Cristo o kay Felix Manalo, PASUGO ang sasagot:

PASUGO Agosto-Setyembre 1964, p. 5

“Kailan napatala sa Pamahalaan o narehistro ang INK sa Pilipinas? Noong Hulyo 27, 1914. Tunay nga na sinasabi sa rehistro na si Kapatid na F. Manalo ang nagtatag ng INK."

Sa kanilang ika-100 daang TAON ng PAGKAKATATAG, kanilang inamin ang ganito:

"On July 27, 1914... the Iglesia Ni Cristo was registered with the Philippine government... the Articles of Incorporation were filed with the Office of the Division of Archives, Patented Properties of Literature and Executive Office of Industrial Trade Works..." -PASUGO God's Message Special Centennial Issue, p. 16 (by Nicanor P. Tiosen)

Wala na tayong dapat pang pagtatalunan kung sino ang TUNAY na Iglesia! Ito ay ang IGLESIA KATOLIKA!

AP News: Syria Christians hold first prayer in years in ravaged church

Agence France-Presse / via INQUIRER

Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch, Ignatius Aphrem II, holds mass at the heavily damaged Syriac Orthodox church of St. Mary in Syria’s eastern city of Deir Ezzor on February 3, 2018. AFP

DEIR EZZOR, Syria — A solemn group of Christians held their first prayer service in years on Saturday in the ravaged church of St. Mary in Syria’s eastern Deir Ezzor city.

Stones, strips of wire, papers and remnants of rockets were strewn across the church floor, and bright sunlight streamed in from the blown-out windows.

Holding thin white candles under pockmarked archways, the congregation of less than two dozen worshippers relished their first service in nearly six years.

Fighting has gripped Deir Ezzor since rebels captured part of the city in 2012, and grew worse when the Islamic State jihadist group shot to prominence there in 2014.

Syrian troops recaptured the entire city in November and residents have slowly begun to trickle back.

Catholic Herald: Houses of Parliament lit up in red for persecuted Christians

by Madeleine Teahan posted Thursday, 24 Nov 2016 for Catholic Herald

The Houses of Parliament lit up in red to commemorate persecuted Christians last year

Buildings across the country were lit up to mark 'Red Wednesday'

The Houses of Parliament, churches, cathedrals, synagogues and universities were lit up in red yesterday to highlight the plight of persecuted religious minorities abroad.

The event – Red Wednesday – was organised by Aid to the Church in Need. Westminster Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, London Routemaster buses and Bolton town hall were also lit up in red to commemorate the persecuted.

Catholic Herald: Houses of Parliament to be lit up in red for persecuted Christians

The Parliament building will be lit up along with at least 10 cathedrals for #RedWednesday

The towers of the Houses of Parliament (AP)

Catholic Herald - The Houses of Parliament in Westminster will be lit up in red for #RedWednesday next week in honour of the world’s persecuted Christians and all those who suffer for peacefully held beliefs.

John Bercow MP, the Speaker of the House of Commons, and Lord Fowler, Speaker of the House of Lords, agreed to the initiative after being lobbied by parliamentarians, many of whom had been contacted by constituents.

Among those calling for Parliament to turn red was Trevor Harrison, from Sevenoaks, who wrote to his MP, Sir Michael Fallon.

He said he contacted his MP after attending an event in Parliament organised by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for International Freedom or Belief – itself a supporter of #RedWednesday.

Speaking to Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, which is organising #Red Wednesday together with Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Mr Harrison said: “Turning Parliament red is a wonderful way to get the message about religious freedom to as wide an audience as possible.”

“We all need to get behind #RedWednesday – we need to stand together against violence carried out in the name of religion – we need to speak up about regimes which persecute people of faith.”

This will be the second year running that Parliament will turn red for #RedWednesday.

So far this year, at least 10 cathedrals across the UK have pledged to go red including London’s Westminster Cathedral and others in Ayr, Edinburgh, Paisley, Birmingham, Norwich, Wrexham, Derry and Armagh.

In total, nearly 50 public buildings are expected to get behind #RedWednesday – schools, colleges and churches including London’s Anglican St Martin-in-the-Fields and All Souls, Langham Place.

There will be a week of vigils and other events across the country from November 19 to 26.

At 6pm on November 22 a solidarity service will take place outside Westminster Cathedral, with talks, witness testimonies, a video message by MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, music and speeches by Coptic Orthodox Bishop Angaelos, Neville Kyrke-Smith, national director of Aid to the Church in Need (UK), and Mervyn Thomas, chief executive of Christian Solidarity Worldwide.

Throughout the day, a traditional London red bus emblazoned with #RedWednesday slogans will be criss-crossing the capital, stopping at London landmarks.

Most Persecuted Religion in the World are Christians

Another Massacre of Christians in Egypt

Catholic Missionaries RISK persecution and death by proclaiming Jesus among those who haven't received the 'Good News"

And how about your Ministers? Your Pastors? Had they took the risk yet? #ProudCatholics

CNA: Iraqis hopeful in battle for Mosul, yet cautious of what lies ahead

By Elise Harris for Catholic News Agency
Posted October 17, 2016

An Iraqi woman holding a rosary. Credit: Elise Harris/CNA.

Erbil, Iraq (CNA/EWTN News).- Hours after Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi announced a ground offensive to retake Mosul from the clutches of Islamic State, a priest working in the thick of the country’s refugee crisis said people are happy with the advances, but unsure what the future will hold.

“We are so happy because yesterday the war began between the Iraqi army and the Peshmerga with ISIS,” Father Roni Momika told CNA Oct. 17.

He relayed how shortly before, they had received the “good news” that the ancient Monastery of the Martyrs Saint Behnam and his Sister Sarah, also known as the Mar Behnam monastery, near Nimrud “is free,” though it has suffered significant damage from Islamic State forces.

There are still many Christians living in the villages surrounding Mosul, he noted, but said soldiers from the Iraqi army and the Kurdish Peshmerga are with them.

“We hope that (soon) we will hear good news about Qaraqosh, a big center for Christians, that it will be free and that there is no ISIS there,” he said, but admitted that it might not be that easy.

Fr. Momika is a Syriac Catholic priest serving in the Kurdish capital of Erbil, where he works in the city’s Aishty camp for the displaced.

He and his sister were among the victims wounded in a 2010 bombing of buses transporting mainly Christian college students from the Plains of Nineveh to the University of Mosul, where they were enrolled in classes.

In 2014, while he was in seminary, Momika and his family were forced to flee Qaraqosh, also known as Bakhdida, when Islamic State militants attacked, taking over the city after storming it in the middle of the night with bombs and gunfire.

Since his seminary was closed following Islamic State's assault, he completed his studies in Lebanon, and returned to Iraq for his diaconate ordination, which took place March 19. On Aug. 5 he was ordained a priest in the Aishty camp, where he continues to serve the people by leading women's groups and working with youth.

Aleteia: Despite threat from ISIS, 100 children receive First Communion in Iraq

AUGUST 21, 2016 POSTED BY ALETEIA
Details:

The first communion Mass in Alqosh was an historic moment for a “frontier town” that has been under threat from the militants of the Islamic State (IS) for a long time. Now it can “hope for peace and normalcy” around these hundred children, said Mgr Basil Yaldo, auxiliary bishop of Baghdad and close associate of the Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako.

The Chaldean primate presided over the ceremony that was attended by “all the priests of the city, the nuns and more than 700 people. The faithful were excited because for the first time, the patriarch celebrated communions in the community.”

Like many other towns in Iraqi Kurdistan, Alqosh too welcomed scores of refugees.

“Life in the area is almost back to normal,” said the vicar of Baghdad. “We hope that soon the whole plain [of Nineveh] can be liberated from the jihadists, and that refugees can return to their villages.”

The work to secure the area, he added, has “already started and for the past two days Iraqi troops have launched the battle to liberate the villages surrounding Mosul.”

…Addressing the boys and girls who received the first communion, Patriarch Sako urged them not to abandon their land, the city of Alqosh, but to stay and help in the reconstruction “because there is a (Christian) heritage to be preserved. ”

The Chaldean primate, Mgr Yaldo noted, also called on young people to “be stronger, come to church and participate in the life of the Christian community as one participates in the life of a family.”

After the service, the children asked Patriarch Sako some questions. One of them, Mgr Yaldo noted, said that when he “grows up he wants to become a priest to serve the poor and the needy.”

The patriarch could not hold back his emotion after listening to such words, adding that “it is important to support and share the suffering.”

Read it all. God bless every one of them and keep them safe.

CNA: New Iraqi priests bring joy amid years of sadness, displacement

By Elise Harris

Roni Salim Momika is ordained a priest in Erbil's Aishty camp for the displaced Aug. 5, 2016. Courtesy of Fr. Roni Momika.

Erbil, Iraq, Aug 8, 2016 / 03:02 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Fr. Roni Salim Momika, one of three priests ordained in an Erbil refugee camp Friday, said the event has turned the dreary mood of displaced Christians into one of joy, which he hopes will give them the strength to stay in their homeland.

“My feeling is happy, happy!” Fr. Momika told CNA after his Aug. 5 ordination, adding that he feels “something inside” that makes him deeply joyful.

He was ordained a priest of the Syriac-Catholic Church alongside his friends and fellow deacons Emad and Petros in the large, prefabricated church inside Erbil’s Aishty 2 camp for the displaced, which is home to some 5,500 people forced to flee their homes due to ISIS.

The ordination, he said, “will give hope to (the people)” in the camp, mostly Syriac Catholics from Qaraqosh, who for two years have been forced to live as refugees.

Fr. Momika, who is from Qaraqosh, noted how Aug. 6 marks the exact two-year anniversary since ISIS attacked his hometown, driving out inhabitants who didn’t meet their demands to convert to Islam, pay a hefty tax or face death.

“We left Qaraqosh during this time two years ago,” he said, explaining that it’s been “a time of challenge” and “a time of sadness” for the Christians.

However, while the anniversary could serve as a reminder of the bleak and uncertain reality for Christians in Iraq, the sight of three young men being ordained to the priesthood has instead made it “a happy time, a hopeful time, and a good time,” Fr. Momika said.

“Before it was a bad day because we became refuges and ISIS entered to Qaraqosh, but now this day became a good day because it’s our ordination and we give hope to our people,” including the hope “to stay here,” he said.

Fr. Momika, Emad, Petros and another seminarian named Paul were all forced to flee Qaraqosh when ISIS attacked in 2014.

Before being forced to leave, Momika and his sister were among the victims wounded in a 2010 bombing of buses transporting mainly Christian college students from the Plains of Nineveh to the University of Mosul, where they were enrolled in classes.

Since the Qaraqosh seminary was closed following the 2014 attack, the then-seminarians were sent to finish their studies at the Al-Sharfa Seminary in Harissa, Lebanon. After completing their studies in Lebanon, they returned to Iraq for their deaconate ordination, which took place March 19.

Since then, Paul decided to serve in Baghdad, and was ordained there roughly 20 days ago, while Fr. Momika and the others were ordained in Erbil.

Archbishop Yohanno Petros Moshe, Syriac Catholic Archbishop of Mosul, Kirkuk and Kurdistan, the priests’ bishop, was the one who celebrated their ordination Mass in the Aishty camp.

Fr. Momika, whose family fled to Erbil after leaving Qaraqosh, said that while the church only has a capacity of about 800 people, about 1,500 showed up for the ordination.

Several of his family members were able to come for the ordination, including his father, sister and many others who traveled from Baghdad, Aqrah and other cities to be there.

Until now Fr. Momika has worked with the youth and led the women’s groups inside Erbil’s refugee camps. The priest said that for now he will remain in Erbil and continue to serve in that capacity, but it’s up to Archbishop Moshe to decide “if I will stay here or not” in the long run.

As a newly ordained priest surrounded by violent persecution, Fr. Momika said that he wants “to stand with the refugees” despite the “the danger (in their) lives.”

He said he wants to give the Christians “power, hope, and courage to continue their lives and stay with the poor people” and those who are suffering, adding that for him, the essence of his role and vocation is “to give Christ to the people.”

Praying for the Beatification of Persecuted Catholics in Byeongin (Korea) in 1866

We pray for the Beatification of the Korean martyrs.  This year is Anniversary 150 years of Byeongin persecution(1866).

Rome event to mark persecution of Christians around the world.

Source: Wanted In Rome

Rome event to mark persecution of Christians around the world.

The waters of Rome’s Trevi Fountain will be dyed red in recognition of Christians who have died for their faith, at an event on Friday 29 April.

The initiative is being organised by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) to highlight the persecution of Christians and the “systematic violation of their right to religious freedom” in numerous countries around the world.

The Chaldean Catholic bishop of Aleppo in Syria, Antoine Audo, and ACN president Cardinal Mauro Piacenza will be at the event to discuss the persecution faced by Christians in the world today, in countries such as Iraq, Syria, Nigeria, North Korea and Somalia.

The event is supported by several religious and charitable associations including Communion and Liberation, Caritas Italy, the Christian Workers Movement and the Focolare Movement.

Pope Francis speaks frequently about modern-day martyrs, recently describing them as “the lifeblood of the Church.”

Lebanon, Christians, Under Islamist Threat

2016-04-25 | Shadi Khalloul, Act for America

Recent upheavals in Lebanon are making local Christians communities worry about their existence as heirs and descendants of the first Christians. Christians in the Middle East now are facing a huge genocide -- similar to the Christian genocide the followed the Islamic conquest of the Middle East in the 7th century A.D.

Islamic jihadist groups are threatening Lebanese Christians and demanding that they submit to Islam. Lebanon's Christians, descendants of Aramaic Syriacs, were the majority in the country a mere 100 years ago.

The demand for Christians to convert to Islam was one of the declarations issued by ISIS and other Islamic groups hiding in the mountainous border between Syria and Lebanon.

Saad Hariri, a Saudi-backed Sunni Muslim politician and the son of assassinated Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, recently invited every Lebanese party to his office to sign a document confirming that Lebanon is an Arab state. Arab state equals Islamic laws, as with all members of the Arab League. Why is it so important to Hariri or to the Sunni and Islamic world to include Lebanon as an Arab state and cancel its current name as a Lebanese state only?

And why do the Arab states, including the Palestinian Authority (PA), refuse to recognize Israel, with its 80% Jewish majority, as Jewish state, while at the same time trying to impose the definition of an Arab state on Lebanon, whose population is 35% non-Arab Christians?

There are approximately one million Syriac Maronites left in Lebanon, as well as another 700,000 Christians belonging to other churches. In addition, more than eight million Syriac Maronites live in the diaspora. These eight million Christians fled over the centuries because of persecution by Muslims, often conquerors of the Christian homeland. Lebanon was never a strictly Arab or Muslim. But that is the step that Saad Hariri, as a milder face of the expansionist ISIS ideology, would have us take -- under the guise of a modern, moderate, Sunni secular front.

Isis Threat to Crucify Lebanon's Christians as Islamic State Prepare to Cross Syria Border
By Jack Moore for IBTimes
September 30, 2014

Christians in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley have begun arming themselves in preparation for an Isis (now known as the Islamic State) offensive as it seeks to expand its territorial control outside of Syria.

Up to 3,000 militants from the Islamic State and other jihadists occupy the mountain range between Lebanon and Syria near the Sunni town of Arsal.

As IS seek to grab land outside of the mountain caves and farms they currently control, Christian volunteers have now created village defence forces to protect against the Sunni militants who have taken up to 21 Lebanese soldiers and policemen hostage.

"We are a minority and we are under threat by the jihadists," Rifaat Nasrallah, a commander of the volunteer guards in the Greek Catholic town of Ras Baalbek, said.

"It wasn't the idea of anyone in particular," Nasrallah says of the formation of defence units. "The whole village felt in danger so we all agreed it was necessary."

"We don't shoot if we see someone or something moving in the mountains," said one of the watchmen. "We just call the Army and they investigate."

Ras Baalbek has a population of 15,000 and is separated from the flashpoint town of Arsal by a range of hills.

"Imagine if Islamic State makes it into Ras Baalbek and they crucify a Christian. It will set Lebanon alight," a western diplomat in the Lebanese capital of Beirut, speaking on condition of anonymity, told The Times.

There are approximately 2.4m Chrisitans in Lebanon, 20pc of the total population.

The terror group has continued to crack down on religious freedom since the announcement of its Islamic "caliphate", straddling the Iraqi-Syrian border.

The Sunni jihadists have taken over Iraq's largest Christian town of Qaraqosh causing thousands of residents to flee towards Kurdistan region.

They also issued an ultimatum to Christians in the city of Mosul to convert to their radical form of Islam or be forced to either pay a tax, leave the city or be harmed for refusal to convert.

The city is now reportedly empty of Christians as hundreds of families fled following the ultimatum of death or a historic contract ‒ known as "dhimma"‒ where non-Muslims can receive protection if they pay a fee known as a "jizya".

STAND WITH PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS!

Source: European Press Agency (EPA)

Palestinians Are Erasing Christian History

Source: United With Israel
By: Khaled Abu Toameh
Posted in Apr 18, 2016

A Palestinian worker points to a Greek cross on a crown that was discovered with remnants of marble Corinthian pillars and foundations during construction of a shopping center in Gaza City. (AP/Adel Hana)

The plight of Palestinian Christians does not interest the international community, because Israel cannot be blamed for demolishing the antiquities. If the current policy against Christians persists, the day will come when no Christians will be left in Bethlehem.

• For Palestinian Christians, the destruction of the ancient Byzantine church ruins is yet a further attempt by Palestinian Muslim leaders to efface both Christian history and signs of any Christian presence in the West Bank and Gaza, under the Palestinian Authority (PA) and Hamas. A growing number of Christians feel they are being systematically targeted by both the PA and Hamas for being Christians.

• Bulldozers were used to destroy some of the church artifacts; some Palestinian Christians accused both Hamas and the PA of copying ISIS tactics to demolish historic sites.

• “Where are the heads of the churches in Jerusalem and the world?… Where are the Vatican and UNESCO? Where are the leaders and politicians who talk, talk, talk about national unity and the preservation of holy sites? Or is this a collective conspiracy to end our existence and history in the East?” — Sami Khalil, a Christian from the West Bank city of Nablus.

• The plight of Palestinian Christians does not interest the international community. That is because Israel cannot be blamed for demolishing the antiquities. If the current policy against Christians persists, the day will come when no Christians will be left in Bethlehem.

Palestinian Christians are up in arms over the destruction of the ruins of an ancient Byzantine church that were recently discovered in Gaza City.

The protest, however, failed to win the attention of the international community, especially United Nations agencies such as UNESCO, whose mission is to secure the world’s cultural and natural heritage.

A Palestinian youth removes sand from a crown
that was discovered with remnants of marble
Corinthian pillars and foundations, some
of them with a Greek cross during construction
of a shopping center in Gaza City. (AP/Adel Hana)

The ruins of the 1800-year-old church were discovered in Palestine Square, in the Al-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza City, where Hamas is planning to build a shopping mall. The dramatic discovery of the antiquities did not seem to leave an impression on the construction workers, who removed artifacts and continued with their work at the site.

Defying belief, bulldozers were used to destroy some of the church artifacts, drawing sharp criticism from Palestinian Christians, some of whom rushed to accuse both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PA) of copying ISIS tactics to demolish historic sites.

For Palestinian Christians, the destruction of the church ruins is yet a further attempt by Palestinian Muslim leaders to efface both Christian history and signs of any Christian presence in the Palestinian territories.

Muslim Terrorists, You can burn our churches but you can NEVER change our faith!

Photos Source: This is Christian Assyria

We still believe in JESUS CHRIST as our LORD and GOD!

Killed for his FAITH!

An Arab was killed by ISIS and identified as Christian because of his tattoo CROSS! (Source: This is Christian Assyria)

There is NO OTHER SIGN worthy of our CHRISTIAN IDENTITY than the CROSS of JESUS CHRIST! And dying for HIS SAKE is just one thing that we all are unworthy, yet a PRIZED TROPHY every Christian anticipates to receive!

REST IN PEACE brethren in the Lord!

Let's BOAST HIS CROSS by frequently making the SIGN OF THE CROSS whenever we pass by a church, a cemetery, or eating or traveling, playing, in waking or even before sleeping.

 

Pope calls Pakistan attack ‘hideous,’ demands protection for Christians

Pakistani women weeping and comforting each other after Muslim Terrorists suicide bomber killed at least 70 Christians in Lahore, Pakistan while celebrating Easter. (Photo Source: Associated Press (AP))

ENDLESS MUSLIM MURDERING OF CHRISTIANS! WHEN WILL THIS MADNESS STOPS?!!!

We remember all those persecuted Christians in our prayers and sacrifices. We also pray for Muslims' conversion of hearts! LORD HAVE MERCY! -CD2000

Published March 28, 2016
Source: GMANews

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis on Monday condemned the Easter suicide bomb by Islamist militants that killed at least 70 people in Pakistan, many of them Christians, as "hideous" and demanded that the country's authorities protect religious minorities.

Addressing thousands of people in St. Peter's Square on Easter Monday, a religious holiday, the Pope said Pakistan had been "bloodied by a hideous attack that massacred so many innocent people, mostly families of the Christian minority."

The Pope, speaking from the window of the Vatican's Apostolic Palace to crowds in the square below, called the Sunday evening attack in a busy park in the Pakistani city of Lahore, "a vile and senseless crime."

"I appeal to civil authorities and all sectors of that nation to make every effort to restore security and serenity to the population, and in particular to the most vulnerable religious minorities," he said.

Pope Francis, leader of the world's 1.2 billion Roman Catholics, said he also prayed that God would "stop the hands of the violent ones who sow terror and death."

A breakaway Taliban militant group that once declared loyalty to Islamic State claimed responsibility for the blast.

Pakistan is a majority-Muslim state though it has a Christian population of more than 2 million. — Reuters