Pope Francis Speaks Out For Persecuted Christians

Pope Francis knows little about economics, and appears to be under the misapprehension that the Obama-style cronyism he observed in Argentina constitutes free enterprise. Naturally, his comments on matters economic have been lapped up by the press.

It will be interesting to see whether his other themes are deemed equally newsworthy. Today is St. Stephen’s Day, which honors Christianity’s first martyr. Francis addressed visitors to St. Peter’s Square and, taking advantage of the commemoration of St. Stephen, amplified points he made in his Christmas message about the persecution of Christians. I haven’t been able to find the full text of his remarks, but this is how they were reported by the Associated Press:

Pope Francis is urging people to speak out against persecution of Christians, whom he likened to the Church’s first martyrs.

His denunciation of discrimination suffered by Christians came a day after three Christmas day bombings targeted Christians in Iraq.

Francis didn’t cite any countries in his remarks to tourists and pilgrims in St. Peter’s Square as the church Thursday recalled its first martyr, St. Stephen. Francis said unfortunately more Christians are suffering discrimination and violence now than in Christianity’s early times. He said some countries guarantee human rights “on paper” but not in practice, leaving Christians subject to “limitations and discrimination.”

Francis said “injustice must be denounced and eliminated.”

The Pope mentioned Iraq specifically in his Christmas message, which presumably was written before Muslim terrorists in that country murdered 37 Christians on Christmas Day. This video, via Gateway Pundit, is graphic. It shows the immediate aftermath of one of the Islamic bombings in Baghdad. We are not talking, here, about “discrimination” or “injustice,” we are talking about mass murder and extermination:

It will be interesting to see whether Francis continues to speak up on behalf of threatened Christian communities, and whether, if so, predominantly Christian countries like the United States will finally take an interest in the appalling anti-Christian violence that is occurring around the world, essentially all of it perpetrated by Muslims.

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