THE Archbishop of Canterbury has said that Christians around the
world have a responsibility to show solidarity with those in the
Middle East who are in danger. The Anglican Church, he said, was
looking for ways to help bring peace to the region.
In an interview with a Christian satellite station that
broadcasts to the Middle East, SAT-7, Archbishop Welby spoke of the
escalating violence that is forcing many thousands of Christians to
leave their homelands. "It's a frustration, as well as a
responsibility," he said. "I feel a deep sense of responsibility as
well as a deep sense of powerlessness."
Daily prayers were being said, he went on, but "finding ways
forward that will help people escapes us at the moment."
He quoted a friend from the Middle East who described the
attacks on Christians by terrorist groups as "the worst thing to
happen to the Church since Genghis Khan". The Archbishop said that
Christians outside the Middle East had "a responsibility to stand
with our brothers and sisters". The Anglican Church was looking for
"ways we can help" through the Church's dioceses, representation in
the region, and by keeping in close touch with UK government and
European Union officials.
The Archbishop said that he rejected the notion of a "clash of
civilisations" between the Muslim world and the West. He said that
the cross and Jesus's resurrection from the dead brought "the
possibility of reconciliation between civilisations".
A strong theme in SAT-7 broadcasts is the Christian doctrine of
forgiveness, and two instances of Arab Christians' forgiving those
who have caused them grief have been watched by millions of people
in the region. The first video featured a ten-year-old Iraqi girl,
Myriam, who was displaced by Islamic State. The second showed an
Egyptian, Beshir, who was the brother of two Copts beheaded in
Libya (News,
20 February).
Myriam said that she would "ask God to forgive Islamic State";
and Beshir asked God to "open the eyes of his brothers' killers".
Both videos were broadcast on SAT-7, were rebroadcast on other
television stations, and disseminated widely via social media.