Mags Gargan
Bishop John McAreavey Irish bishops have emphasised the need for the Government to use every effort to protect religious minorities from persecution, following the latest bombings targeting Christians in Egypt.
Bishop John McAreavey, Chair of the Bishops Council for Justice and Peace, said the bombings at two Coptic Christian churches in Cairo on Palm Sunday were “clearly a sectarian attack” which is “challenging the idea that Christians have a place in the Middle East”.
“It highlights the vulnerability of Christians in parts of the Middle East which are predominantly Muslim and it is a challenge to the governments in those places to make sure minorities are properly physically protected and also protected by law.”
He also said it was important that the Irish Government communicated “our concern that Christians would be properly looked after and protected”.
Diplomatic level
Bishop Kevin Doran, also a member of Council, said the bishops have asked the Department of Foreign Affairs to “particularly use their offices at the diplomatic level in countries where Christians are deliberately targeted to provide them with protection”.
Bishop Doran said there was also a “need for governments in these countries to protect religious minorities”. He said “any bombing that has taken human life is obviously grossly immoral”, it is “particularly tragic when people are targeted because of their religion”.
Social action
He said as Christians we must “continue to promote through our teaching and social action respect for life from the very beginning right to its natural end”.
Bishop McAreavey called on Christians “in our own country” to continue to pray for persecuted Christians and to “show solidarity for them in any way that they can”.
The death toll from the two bomb blasts in Egypt was 45 as this paper went to print. The so-called Islamic State (ISIS) said it was behind the explosions, which is the latest in a series of attacks targeting the Christian minority in the country.