BALTIMORE—Bishop Gregory J. Mansour of the Eparchy of
Saint Maron of Brooklyn introduced a discussion today, during the U.S. bishops’
fall General Assembly, on ways the Church in the United States can assist
persecuted Christians in the Middle East.

“Although the vast majority of today’s refugees are
non­Christian; the vast majority of those who serve them are Christians, who
continue to be the light of the world and the salt of the earth,” Bishop
Mansour said. “Today Christians are more united than ever, through a common
suffering, a common martyrdom, and a common assistance given to those in need.”

The efforts to improve assistance and support
Christians in the Middle East cover three main focus areas: advocacy,
humanitarian aid, and ecumenical support.

In the area of advocacy, the bishops urge the U.S.
government to increase U.S. humanitarian aid and development assistance for refugees
as well as internally displaced persons and those countries in the region hosting
large refugee populations. The bishops
also urge the U.S. Government to promote peace in the region and encourage the
building of inclusive governments while working with other nations to stand
against ISIS and hold them accountable for their genocidal acts.

Regarding humanitarian assistance, efforts include:
developing a plan to assist Iraqi and Syrian Christians in the future in rebuilding
churches, hospitals, schools, homes and livelihoods; the promotion of a linking
(twinning) of parishes and dioceses between the U.S. and Churches in the Middle
East; and continued funding
efforts for various Catholic charities including Catholic Relief Services
(CRS), Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Catholic Near East Welfare
Association (CNEWA) and Knights of Columbus (K of C).

Efforts in the area of ecumenical and interreligious
support include: working ecumenically with interfaith partners to draw
attention to the need for basic human rights, full citizenship rights and
religious freedom for people in the Middle East; collaborating with human
rights and refugee organizations to highlight the crisis and advocate for
measures to alleviate suffering; and strengthening ecumenical and
interreligious outreach to deepen witness and foster respect and support for
Christians and other religious minorities in the Middle East.

The USCCB Committee on International Justice and Peace
coordinates and leads the U.S. bishops’ advocacy for persecuted Christians and
other minorities in cooperation with the Knights of Columbus, In Defense of
Christians, and CRS.

—
Keywords: USCCB, U.S. bishops, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, November
meeting, Fall General Assembly, Baltimore, Bishop Gregory J. Mansour, Eparchy
of Saint Maron of Brooklyn, Christians, persecution, religious liberty, Middle
East, ISIS, interfaith, interreligious, Congress, humanitarian, assistance,
Catholic Relief Services, CRS, Committee on International Justice, Committee on
Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs, Knights of Columbus, advocacy

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Source:: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops