Bishop Roche of Leeds appeals for solidarity with persecuted Christians

BY JENNA HARRIS
THE BISHOP Of Leeds has urged his flock to support persecuted Christians across the world.
In a letter supporting Aid to the Church in Need's "Faith Under Fire" day, Bishop Arthur Roche called for a greater awareness of those who are persecuted for their beliefs.
He wrote: "As Catholics who are free to practise our faith, we stand in solidarity with our brothers and sisters throughout the world who are currently experiencing Christ's passion in particular ways.
"We will bring their suffering before the Lord in the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass and then we shall seek to grow in knowledge of what is happening in order that we may better know how to respond." "Faith Under Fire" will take place on Saturday June 9 in St Anne's Cathedral, Leeds, and will feature a talk from Lebanese priest Fr Samer Nassif.
Fr Nassif's speech will evaluate the future of the Church in Lebanon, a country plagued with political instability and violence.
Bishop Roche paid tribute to the courage of Lebanese Christians and praised the work of Aid to the Church Need in the war-tom country.
"ACN is creating an environment where dialogue and reconciliation become possible."
Neville Kyrke-Smith, ACN UK National Director, will also speak about the revival of religion in the former Soviet states of Georgia and Armenia. He will evaluate how successfully the countries have been recover ing from decades of stateimposed atheism.
The awareness day, which will begin with a Mass at noon, forms part of ACN's anniversary celebrations to mark 60 years of the charity's work supporting persecuted Christians in more than 130 countries.
Organiser Betty East, ACN Area Secretary for Leeds, said: "I look forward to the event as a way of encouraging more support for Aid to the Church in Need and for the suffering Church throughout the world."
ACN last year released a shocking report on the extent to which Christians are being persecuted across the world.
The report, Persecuted and Forgotten?, records how the Christian faith is increasingly abused. It describes mass murders, the loss of basic human rights, forced conversions and the desecration of Church property.
John Pontifex, head of press and information for ACN, said that in many parts of the world Christians are regarded "not just as aliens but as enemies".
"Extremists and intolerant governments are making life more and more difficult for Christians," he said.