Another Archaeology Update

If you're among the select few who actually read this blog, you'll know I've long had an interest in things archaeological. I'm certainly no expert, not even a knowledgeable amateur, but I do try to stay abreast of what's happening in this fascinating field of study. Science and technology have provided today's archaeologist with tools undreamed of just a few years ago. The result has been a remarkable expansion of our knowledge of ancient civilizations and the societies that formed them.

I'm especially interested in what is often labeled "Biblical Archaeology", that branch of the science that relates to the events described in Sacred Scripture. Of course, any good archaeologist doesn't set out to "prove" the accuracy of Sacred Scripture; rather, he tries to uncover the truth in the form of objective facts, and then based on these hard facts share with us how our ancient ancestors lived, worked, prayed, and died. Interestingly, recent findings uncovered by archaeology, palaeography, and textual philology seem increasingly to support the truth of Sacred Scripture.

I'm also intrigued by those discoveries that bring the ancient world to light and often demonstrate that the ancients were far less primitive than previously thought. I'm always pleased when the temporal bigotry that colors the thinking of today's progressives is exposed for what it is, a blind prejudice that assumes we are smarter and wiser than those who preceded us. Indeed, looking at the chaos, brutality and global destruction that typifies much of our recent history, one can make a pretty good case that we have devolved and are far less wise than many of our ancient ancestors. In itself, this is a good reason to study the ancients, how they lived and what they believed. Maybe we'll actually learn from them.

Although we moderns certainly view the world very differently from the ancients, when it comes to our interpersonal relationships we are remarkably unchanged. As a student of Sacred Scripture I find the manifestations of human nature to be one of the constants that spans the centuries between the ancients and us. One need only read Genesis, Exodus, and the Gospels to realize that Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses and the Apostles are very much like us as we struggle to live our faith in a world hostile to God's Word. In the loosely translated words of the French writer, Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr, "The more things change, the more they stay the same."

All that being said, what's been happening lately in archaeology?

Sarah Parcak, Space Archaeologist. Dr. Sarah Parcak, a Yale- and Cambridge-educated archaeologist and Associate Professor of Anthropology at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has led what can only be described as a revolution in her field of study. For the past decade or so she has pioneered the use of satellite imagery to identify likely archaeological sites. Her work has led to the identification of hundreds of sites in Egypt, Sinai, Rome and elsewhere throughout the world. Many, perhaps most of these sites would never have been located by means of surface-based techniques. Dr. Parcak's work will keep her and many of her colleagues busy for decades to come.

There are, of course, some archaeologists who dispute her conclusions, but I expect most would resist any new techniques, especially those that might force them to reevaluate their own work.

Here's a brief video of Dr. Parcak discussing her work.

Babylonian Trigonometry? This story really interested me since trigonometry was among my favorite subjects back in high school. Back then (I think it was in my junior year), I'm pretty sure we were told that modern trigonometry and all its sines and cosines and tangents was something developed by the Greeks. The Egyptians might have used a primitive form to help them as they built pyramids and other edifices, but the Greeks were the ones who perfected this branch of mathematics. 

Mathematician David Mansfield holding ancient tablet

Now, it seems a couple of Australian mathematicians -- David Mansfield and Norman Wildberger -- have concluded that an ancient (3,700 year-old) Babylonian tablet found over 100 years ago contains a trigonometric table with "exact values for the sides of a range right triangles." In other words, instead of using angles, the Babylonians, with their base 60 math, expressed trigonometry in terms of these exact ratios of the sides of triangles. If the Aussies are correct -- and there's no shortage of folks who dispute their claims -- it's an amazing discovery. I expect we'll hear more about this in the future. You can read more about it here.

Destruction of Ancient and Religious Sites by Islamists. This is becoming a standard headline as followers of ISIS, al-Qaida, Hezbollah, Hamas and other Islamist terrorist entities seem determined to destroy anything that doesn't support their warped sense of history and religion.

In the Philippines, particularly in the south, where ISIS influence has increased greatly in recent years, ISIS followers regularly destroy Christian churches. A recent example is destruction of the Catholic cathedral in the southern Philippine city of Marawi by Islamists who made a video of their rampage:

Read the story here.

In Iraq, ISIS, during the two years they controlled the city of Nimrud, carried out a plan of total destruction of this ancient city. When ISIS forces were finally driven out, the Iraqi soldiers found near total devastation. ISIS used bulldozers, explosives, sledgehammers, anything that could destroy, as they went through the ancient city smashing everything in their path.

At one time Nimrud was the capital of the ancient Assyrian Empire. It was an archaeological marvel, the site of temples, ziggurats and other ruins thousands of years old. The Iraqi troops also found mass graves filled with the bodies of the local people murdered by ISIS. Seemingly proud of what they had done, ISIS also made several videos showing how they destroyed much of this ancient city. Here's a video  made after ISIS had been driven from the city, showing the level of destruction:

The Islamists' war of devastation continued in Syria with the destruction of much of the ancient city of Palmyra. They also bulldozed the Christian monastery of Mar Elian. They removed ancient mosaics, presumably to sell on the black market, from the Roman trading city of Apamea. In the city of Dura-Europos, located on the Euphrates and perhaps the easternmost of Roman outposts, they destroyed one of Christianity's oldest churches, a beautiful synagogue, and many Roman temples. And they looted the bronze-age city of Mari. And all of this destruction was just in Syria. The Islamists were guilty of even more looting and damage in the Iraqi cities of Hatra, Nineveh, Mosul, and Khorsabad, to name only a few.

The Sea People. Here's a fascinating story that shows it's important to take notes and keep them.

A few years ago I read a book entitled 1177 B.C., The Year Civilization Collapsed. Written by Eric Cline, an American archaeologist who focused on the causes of the sudden and near simultaneous collapse of many of the societies that ringed the Mediterranean Sea and even beyond. Many historians and archaeologists have placed the blame on the so-called "Sea People" who embarked on a series of invasions and raids that destroyed the key cities of these societies. Even Egypt was attacked, and although the Egyptians repelled the attackers, their society never fully recovered.

Egyptian wall frieze depicting Egypt repelling the Sea People

But Egypt wasn't the only victim. Hittites, Minoans, Trojans, and others all seemed simply to disappear. Cline isn't so sure this was all the result of the Sea People and adds natural calamities and economic factors to the mix of causes. But no one was ever absolutely sure where these Sea People came from. We might now have an answer, and it comes from an unexpected source.

Back in 1878 a French archaeologist, George Perrot, came across a limestone slab in the Turkish village of Beykoy. The slab, about a foot high and almost 100 feet long, was covered with ancient inscriptions. Because the locals intended to use the stone as part of the foundation of their mosque, Perrot decided to make an accurate copy of the inscriptions before the slab was destroyed.

Copy of Luwian Inscriptions

The copy, long forgotten, surfaced in 2012 in the estate of an English historian. Its inscriptions were then identified as Luwian, an ancient language that only a handful of experts can decipher. The translation of the inscriptions describes how kingdoms in Western Asia formed a confederation -- the Sea People -- and with a united fleet conducted raids of the eastern Mediterranean. Here's the story.

That's enough. More archaeology later...

Islam Destroys Its Own Heritage...and Ours

There have been more than a few news stories in recent years describing the destruction of ancient sites and artifacts by so-called fundamentalist Muslim groups such as the Taliban and the Islamic State (ISIL, ISIS, whatever...). I suppose the first to make actual headlines was the Taliban's 2001 destruction of two giant statues of Buddha that had been carved into an Afghan mountainside 1,500 years ago, before the advent of Islam. Taliban soldiers spent an entire day pulverizing the statues with dynamite, rockets, artillery and tank fire. This was, of course just the beginning of a far more widespread destruction ordered by Mullah Mohammed Omar, then the Taliban's spiritual leader. It was recently learned that the good mullah died of TB In Pakistan a couple of years ago. Anyway, while he was still alive he stated that he really didn't want to destroy the Buddhas, but eventually went along with it because the West was more concerned about saving the ancient statues than feeding the starving Afghan people. The fact that he and his followers were largely responsible for that starvation seemed to escape him. Of course he also came to believe he was simply following Islamic teaching that declared all images to be nothing less than idolatry and, therefore, worthy of complete destruction. Presumably, his decision also gave the Taliban troops some needed target practice in the absence of women, children and infidels.

One of the Bamiyan Buddhas - 1963 (left), after destruction (right)

Shortly after the destruction of the Buddhas was confirmed, Unesco's director-general, Koichiro Matsuura, was all aflutter and stated: "Words fail me to describe adequately my feelings of consternation and powerlessness as I see reports of the irreversible damage that is being done to Afghanistan's exceptional cultural heritage." Boy, did he nail it: "consternation and powerlessness" -- the perfect description of the United Nations at work.

The Taliban, who make the Byzantine iconoclasts look like rank amateurs, continued their frantic work of idol destruction until our response to the 9-11 attack forced them to realign their priorities...at least for a time. Allowed by the Pakistanis -- another of our helpful and loyal Middle Eastern allies -- to operate in Afghanistan from bases across the border, the Taliban are making a comeback of sorts. Should they succeed and once again rule Afghanistan, one can only assume they will pick up where they left off and find other Buddhas to erase.

The Taliban are not unique. Since our departure from Iraq, the Islamic State now controls a large hunk of Iraqi territory, not to mention its expanding presence in Syria. Actually the Islamic State has a presence in much of the Middle East and North Africa. See the map (below) to get a sense of the reach of this growing threat, one that our president labeled the J. V. team. 

Islamic State control and influence

The Islamic State has become infamous largely for its televised beheadings of Christians and others whose beliefs conflict with their own. It's enough to say that the warriors of the Islamic State behead those they consider infidels in direct obedience to Quran 8:12 witch is pretty explicit:

"When your Lord revealed to the angels: I am with you, therefore make firm those who believe. I will cast terror into the hearts of those who disbelieve. Therefore strike off their heads and strike off every fingertip of them."

Like the Taliban, the Islamic State doesn't stop with murder and mayhem. It also considers all shrines, monuments, temples and churches -- any relic of infidel idolatry -- to be worthy of only one thing: complete destruction. They even destroy mosques if they happen to reflect religious thinking contrary to their understanding of shariah. In Iraq the Islamic State has been bulldozing or blowing up countless Muslim shrines and tombs. For example, last year in Mosul ISIS destroyed what Muslims believe to be the tomb of the prophet Daniel along with the tomb and mosque of the prophet Jonah. They haven't limited their destruction to Iraq, but have obliterated many ancient Muslim tombs and mosques in Syria, Libya and wherever else the Islamic State exerts control. They have also murdered any Muslims, including even Imams, who might object.

Islamic State destroyed the Mosque of the Prophet Jirjis in 2014

Of course, the Islamic State has focused most of its destructive energy on the Christian churches of Syria and Iraq. Many of these churches date as far back as the 6th and 7th centuries. They are now gone, completely destroyed. In too many instances worshipers were inside these churches and perished when their spiritual homes were blown up or burned.

Islamic State destroying artifacts at the Mosul Museum

The Islamic State has also targeted many of the most ancient sites in the Middle East. Nimrud, a 13th -century B.C. Assyrian city, has been leveled as have a number of other equally ancient cities, virtually all of them World Heritage Sites.

Mosul Christian Church destroyed; four children murdered

As a result of all this, Secretary of State John Kerry has threatened "to comprehensively document the condition of, and threats to, cultural heritage sites in Iraq and Syria to assess their future restoration, preservation, and protection needs." But that's not all. UNESCO has labeled the destruction of Nimrud a war crime and the UN General Assembly passed a resolution condemning the Islamic State's destruction of cultural heritage. Wow! If these actions by the global community don't put a stop to the destruction, nothing will. I wonder if the State Department and the UN will also document the widespread murder of Christians, so widespread it borders on genocide, by the Islamic State wherever it holds sway. After all, there's nothing like a document or two to strike fear in the hearts of barbarians.

Of course, none of this is new in the Islamic world, neither is it limited to destruction carried out by the Taliban and Islamic State. In 2011 Egyptian Muslim mobs attacked the L'Institut de l'Egypte, a truly venerable institution of learning in Cairo. It contained a 200,000 volume library that focused on all aspects of Egyptian history and life. The mob attacked it with Molotov cocktails and burned its entire contents while soldiers of the regime (then strongly affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood) stood by laughing.

The mob outside the Burnded-out Shell of L'Institute de l'Egypte

These same mobs, again abetted by the police and the military, have destroyed Coptic Christian churches regularly throughout Egypt.

Interestingly, Muslims not only object to the shrines and churches, historic and modern, of other faiths, but they also seem to enjoy destroying their own heritage. For example, over the past 30 years the Saudi government has destroyed over 98% of the Kingdom's historic and religious sites -- this according to the UK's Islamic Heritage Research Foundation. This would be similar to the Catholic Church demolishing every Gothic and Romanesque Cathedral in Europe. Even the most secular of atheists would object, if only on aesthetic and historical grounds.

I can recall, back in my high school years (over 50 years ago), reading a book that described the destructive nature of Islam as it spread across the Middle East and North Africa. It would seem very little has changed.

Of course, while we bemoan the loss of so many churches and ancient historic sites, we must focus first on the genocide being carried out throughout the Islamic world. The Christian communities, that have been a vibrant part of the Middle East since the time of Christ, are being systematically destroyed while we sit back and do little or nothing. Oh, yes, we have been doing something: we've been enabling the Iranians, in effect giving them billions which they will happily funnel into any number of terrorist organizations. 

Pray for the brave and faithful Christians of the Middle east.

The Church Under Attack

Sometimes the contrast is difficult to bear. Here I am, a deacon assigned to a large, growing parish in a beautiful, Florida retirement community where my biggest concerns are centered on effecting a reasonable balance between my "retirement time" and the time I devote to the various ministries in which I'm active. And if I'm not careful and lose my sense of spiritual direction, I can develop an almost self-righteous attitude toward it all -- "Yes, I do so much for the parish and for those in need." -- when, in reality, I do nothing, nothing at all. The Church does opus Dei, the work of God, and indeed it can do absolutely nothing, at any rate, nothing good, without the presence and guidance of the Holy Spirit. And although I realize God has commissioned us to preach His Word to all people, even to fairly affluent retirees in sunny Florida, I cannot ignore the contrast between my ministry and that of others throughout our bent world.

This was brought home to me the other day when I opened a fund-raising letter from Aid to the Church in Need. Every week I probably receive three or four such letters from various charities and ministries asking for financial support. I've come to accept that my name and address are on every Church-related mailing list, guaranteeing that my mailbox will never be empty. Although I cannot help them all and still pay the bills, I respond to some of these pleas with a small donation. But the contents of this particular plea caught my attention. For those of you who aren't familiar with Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), it's a Catholic charity guided and blessed by Pope Francis and his predecessors. Indeed, Pope Benedict XVI strongly supported ACN, calling it "a gift of Providence for our time." ACN's mission is simple: "to help suffering and persecuted faithful worldwide" by strengthening the Church and keeping the Faith alive wherever it is threatened. As you might imagine, in recent years the challenge of accomplishing this mission has increased dramatically.

Iraqi Christian Refugees

Coptic Church Set Afire in Egypt

I've written about the global persecution of Christians on many occasions, but I don't believe I've ever discussed ACN and its work. Formed in 1947, ACN was "born out of the ashes of World War II" to assist those who found themselves homeless and dispossessed. My family spent a year in Germany only a few years after the war and I recall seeing refugee camps in which "displaced persons" or "DPs", as they were then called, were forced to live. Many of these were Jewish survivors of the holocaust, others who had been interred by the Nazis in labor, POW or concentration camps, and refugees who had fled to the West in advance of the Soviet Army. Despite my young age -- at the time I was only a seven-year-old -- the sight of one of these sprawling camps remains a most vivid memory. See photos below...

DP Camp in Germany - late 40s, early 50s

Residents of a DP Camp near Hamburg pose for a photo

One of the more shameful episodes of our history involved the forced repatriation of too many of these refugees who were subsequently imprisoned or even executed by the Communist regimes in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe. At this same time, the 1950s, ACN was working behind the scenes in Eastern Europe, particularly in Hungary and Poland, assisting the persecuted Church. ACN later expanded its reach to assist the Church in Latin America, Africa and Asia. From its beginning ACN was committed to accomplishing its mission in a spirit of reconciliation as it helped the Church wherever the need was greatest.


After reading ACN's fundraising letter I visited the charity's website where one encounters current reports of remarkable faith in the face of the most horrendous persecution. As you might expect most of these reports originate in the Middle East and Africa where Islamist jihadists are attempting to destroy the Church through violence, intimidation and other forms of persecution. The secular media has seemingly made a conscious effort to avoid reporting on the worldwide persecution of Christians, so it's only through the work of ACN and similar organizations that we learn of this growing threat to eliminate Christianity from regions where it has been a real presence since the time of the Apostles. Visit ACN's website to see for yourself what is happening to the Church in some of these nations.

Living as we do in relative peace and security, it's hard not to ask oneself, "Would I be as courageous as these Christians who, though confronted by violent persecution and the threat of martyrdom, have kept the faith?" After all, how many of us actually defend our faith and the Church when confronted by someone who attacks either with mere words? Why risk a quarrel and the possibility of hurt feelings when we're just talking about a matter of opinion? Yes, when it's under attack the Truth becomes just a matter of opinion and we remain silent.

The reality, of course, is that as Christians we must defend the Truth. And we should do so openly, prayerfully, and with love. As Blessed John Henry Newman said, "It is as absurd to argue men, as to torture them, into believing."

Pope Benedict with the Patriarch

I hope all who read this will consider supporting Aid to the Church in Need. You can do so via the secure donation page of their website: Donate. And if you can't afford a financial donation, please donate your time each day by praying for the Church persecuted. 

The Patriarch of the Catholic Chaldean Church in Iraq, Louis Raphael I Sako, has written a prayer which he asks all Christians to pray daily -- imagine the effect it would have:

O Lord, the plight of Iraq and Syria is deep and the suffering of the Christians is heavy and frightening. We ask you, Lord, to give us peace and stability to live with each other without fear, anxiety, with dignity and joy. Glory to You, forever. Amen.

Pope Francis with the Chaldean Patriarch

Such a simple prayer, but truly a Christian prayer. The attitude of the Patriarch is mirrored by Bishop Ambroise Ouédraogo in the African nation of Niger. After Muslims rioted and destroyed Christian churches, the Muslim community was amazed that Niger’s Catholic bishops immediately proclaimed forgiveness of the perpetrators. In the bishop's words, "They set fire to our churches, but our hearts are still ablaze with love for them. Christian or Muslim—God wishes good fortune for all people.” How many of us could be so forgiving?

ISIL: What We Can Expect

For those of you who consider the ISIL terrorists in Iraq and Syria to be no more than a local problem, one limited to the always volatile Middle East, I suggest you read the comments of the Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Mosul. His warning to the Christians of Western Europe and the USA is quoted today by Fr. Dwight Longenecker in his wonderful blog: Standing on my Head. Check it out.

Fr. James Schall, another of my heroes, also offers some comment on the archbishop's warning: click here.

Persecution of Christians: Some Links

After posting my earlier comments on the rise of chaos in the world, I thought my readers might find a few related articles of interest. Here are the links:

US Enables Christian Persecution

Islamist - Nazi Connection

Christianity Finished in Iraq

Pope Francis: Trust in God Overcomes Worldly Fears

...all are interesting and relevant reads.

And here's a world map showing the nations in which the persecution of Christians is greatest:

For more information go to: Open Doors

God's peace.

Change and More Change

Change, surprisingly rapid change, seems to define our world today. No aspect of human activity is immune, including religion. Events and movements within religion, however, often fly well below the mainstream media's radar because they are mistakenly believed to be unimportant. I suppose one cannot expect irreligious people to take religion very seriously, although such an attitude displays real ignorance of both human history and human nature. But when religion is discounted by the media and given little intelligent coverage, the general public is shortchanged. Even when the secular media covers religious news, they tend to cover it as they would political news; consequently they usually get the story wrong.  More often, however, religious news is simply ignored.

Here are a few items that reflect some significant changes that may have escaped the notice of most media outlets. 

The Changing Face of Anglicanism. In his blog Fr. Dwight Longenecker gives a brief overview of some of the remarkable changes that have occurred within the diverse Anglican community in recent years. Fr. Longenecker, an American Catholic priest, knows of what he speaks. Brought up in an Evangelical home, he followed an atypical path on his personal religious pilgrimage. A graduate of fundamentalist Bob Jones University, he went on to study theology at Oxford and was subsequently ordained an Anglican priest. After serving many years as an Anglican cleric in England, he and his family converted to Catholicism in 1995. He now lives in South Carolina. You can read Fr. Longenecker's conversion story here.

Growth of Catholicism in Asia and Africa. Few Western Catholics are aware of the rapid growth of the Church in both Asia and Africa. As the faithful in Western Europe shrink to record small levels, their numbers worldwide have grown remarkably. That this growth is unremarked in the U.S. and Europe just highlights the parochialism of many Western Catholics. This growth, though, has been increasingly hard to ignore as more and more priests from Asia and Africa are recruited by our bishops to work as pastors and parochial vicars in American parishes. Not too long ago the Church in America was a major source of missionary priests to the less developed world; now that world sends missionaries to us. Indeed, my pastor is originally from the Philippines and the priest who serves as chaplain in the nearby federal prison, and who lives in our parish, is from Nigeria. Yes, the Catholic Church us truly catholic. (To get a good sense of the growth of the Church in Asia and Africa, read this synopsis of the statistics published in the 2013 Pontifical Yearbook.)

Cardinal Yeom

The Church in South Korea. South Korea is a largely secular Asian nation in which Catholics make up only 11% of the population. But the Church there is growing in both numbers and stature. Pope Francis' recent elevation of Seoul's Archbishop Andrew Yeom Soo-jung as the nation's first cardinal was warmly welcomed by all Koreans as was the Vatican's announcement approving the martyrdom of 124 Koreans who were executed for their faith during the 18th and 19th centuries. We can expect to hear more about these brave men and women as the beatification process continues. I also believe we will be hearing much more about the growing Church in South Korea in the years to come. Just this month 38 new priests were ordained in the Seoul Archdiocese, so don't be surprised if one day a South Korean priest shows up at your parish.

The Disappearing Christians of Iraq. Most of us in the West believe Iraq is a marginally better place since the overthrow and death of Saddam Hussein. But for the Christians of Iraq, those few who remain, nothing could be further from the truth. Few people outside Iraq realize that the nation once boasted an active and vibrant Christian community that represented over 10% of the population and worshiped in hundreds of churches throughout the country. Christians now make up only about 1% of the Iraqi population -- a number that's dwindling rapidly -- and worship in only a few dozen churches. In the spirit of ecumenism, I suggest you read this article published on the website of First Things magazine: The Vicar of Baghdad. It tells the remarkable story of Canon Andrew White, a courageous Anglican priest who ministers to the Christians of Iraq. It's a story you won't read in the New York Times.

Egyptian Catholic Reaction to Our President. Here's another story you won't read in our secular media. Last year during the chaos surrounding the removal from office of President Mohammed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood reacted by attacking Christian churches, businesses and homes throughout the nation. Egyptian Christians hadn't suffered such persecution in centuries. In the midst of these open and violent attacks on the nation's Christian community, President Obama called for the to return to power of Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood allies. In response, Fr. Rafic Antoine Greiche, the head of the Press Office of the Catholic Church in Egypt, released a scathing criticism of President Obama. You can view a video of Fr. Greiche below: 



Don't rely on the mainstream media for news on religious matters, and especially for news on the Catholic Church.

Iraqis and US Marines

This morning I did something I rarely do. I watched two consecutive hours of television. I was captivated by a documentary describing the men and mission of a Marine recon company in Iraq back in the summer of 2005. This was before the 2007 surge, and before the new administration gave the enemy hope and opportunity by publicly issuing withdrawal deadlines.

Aired on the Military Channel, the documentary was fascinating; and having worked closely with Marines over 30 years ago, I realized quickly that these remarkable men were very much like their courageous and well-disciplined predecessors. They may occasionally be a little rough around the edges, but their commitment to their more than challenging mission is evident.

That being said, what really interested me were the rural Iraqis with whom our young Marines came into daily contact. They are a people ruled largely by centuries-old tribal loyalties and religious affiliations and so the cultural divide between them and the Marines is enormous. Most of the people with whom the Marines interact just want to live their lives in the confines of their small village micro-societies, and will do what is necessary to minimize any disruptions to their families and their way of life. If they believe it benefits them, they will side with either the insurgents or the Marines. Understandably, their real and immediate concern is not for the future of their nation, but rather for the safety of their families. They know the Marines will eventually leave Iraq, but their hostile neighbors will remain. Taking sides publicly can be a dangerous thing.

Watching our young Marine NCOs and officers interact so effectively with these rural Iraqis was amazing. So too was their ability to accomplish their mission under extremely difficult conditions and burdened by very restrictive rules of engagement. These Marines were trained extensively in the art of warfare; they were trained to kill the enemy. But in Iraq (and in Afghanistan as well) they face an insurgency, a hidden enemy who blends in quickly with the population. And the population is all too often apathetic. Watching the show, I found these young selfless Marines to be mature far beyond their years. They are a far cry from the "Occupy" young people I encountered in Asheville, NC last weekend, who seemed intent only on complaining that they haven't been given enough.

One of the documentary's more iconic scenes showed an Iraqi woman baking unleavened bread in a large stone oven in the back yard of her home. The oven, a circular well-like structure, was buried three or four feet in the ground. We can see the hot coals in the bottom of the oven and as we watch the woman places the unbaked bread against the interior stone wall. The oven is hot and bakes the thin bread quickly.

As I watched this brief domestic scene I couldn't help but think that 4,000 years ago, not far from this very place, Abraham's wife, Sarah, probably baked her bread in exactly the same fashion using a similar stone oven. I suspect the technology of primitive bread-baking has changed very little over the centuries. This one scene told me much about what we face in the Middle East.

I've embedded a brief excerpt, the final few minutes of this documentary. It's well worth your time...

This documentary was made seven years ago. I trust all these young men have returned home safely to their families, although several have undoubtedly redeployed one or more times. Pray for them.

Threat of Islamization

The West, specifically the secular West, was issued a warning recently and from what many might consider an unlikely source. The Archbishop of Kirkuk in Iraq, Louis Sako, in an interview with SIR, the Italian bishops' news agency, stated that the West, blinded by its secular perspective, is incapable of understanding the threat posed by the growing Islamization of the Middle East, an area he labels a "scary volcano."

According to the archbishop, the "reawakening of Islam" has generated "forces and movements that wish to change the Middle East, creating Islamic States, caliphates, in which Shariah (law) rules.” He then stated that “The western mentality does not allow it to fully comprehend this risk." He went on to describe the "void" between the West, and its privatization of religion, and the Middle East where politics and religion cannot be separated and where "religion pervades all." He believes that the international community will be unable to react appropriately to this growing movement simply because it does not understand the reality of Islamization and fails to appreciate the seriousness of the threat.

Archbishop Sako, like most Iraqi Christians, is not at all optimistic about the long-term future of Egypt. He has seen in his own country what religious and ethnic divisions can lead to and expects the same to occur in Egypt. (Nine members of Kirkuk's Christian community have been murdered and over 100 injured as a result of extremist violence.) Just as his own flock has suffered, the Christians of Egypt will likely have to carry the burden of similar sufferings.

I must say, I tend to agree with the archbishop. Most of the people I have talked to about the events in Egypt are enthusiastic about that nation's future because the "revolution" was seemingly led by people with secular rather than religious aims. But what we forget is that for Muslims, particularly those in the Middle East, there are no completely secular aims. As the archbishop said, Islam "pervades all" and, ultimately, the extremists will move into positions of power.

Read the full story here: Iraqi Archbishop Warns the West

The Future of Christians in the Middle East

A few days ago, writing about the continued unrest in Egypt, I made the comment that as a result of the political changes that will inevitably take place, "Sadly, I believe we can also expect increased persecution of Christians throughout the Middle East." [Egypt on the Brink - 11/28/11] I hope I am wrong, but new information out of Egypt and Europe seems to support this unwanted outcome.

For example, Egypt's Coptic Christians, who make up 10% of Egypt's population of 80 million, are not at all optimistic about their future in an Egypt led by someone other than President Hosni Mubarak. From the perspective of the Copts, Mubarak might not have always been a friend, but he was generally protective of their community and had aggressively prosecuted Islamist terrorists. Their concern is that the next government will either turn to groups like the Muslim Brotherhood for political support, or even include such groups in a coalition. Most likely such a government would be far less protective of the nation's Christians, leading to increased persecution. 

On Monday, Coptic Pope Shenouda III (photo at left) publicly supported President Mubarak on Egyptian state television: "We have called the president and told him we are all with you and the people are with you." Given the nature of the recent deadly attacks on Coptic communities that have taken dozens of lives, one can certainly understand their concerns. Although the protests seem to have almost exclusively secular aims, aims that the Copts also support -- free elections, economic freedom, elimination of state corruption, an economy that creates employment, democratic rights -- the Copts worry that amid the potential political chaos Egypt may end up with a government that has little respect for these aims. I believe their biggest fear is that sooner or later the Muslim Brotherhood will take control. [You can read more in this Wall Street Journal article: Coptic Christians Worry about Future without Mubarak]

Another report, this one out of Europe, addresses the status of Christians in the Middle East and claims that they are in danger of becoming extinct due to the greatly increased violence directed at them by Muslim extremists. The report was issued in the form of a recommendation adopted by the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Condemning the recent mass murders of Christians in both Iraq and Egypt, the Assembly stressed that these attacks, symptomatic of the growing violence against Christians, will ultimately lead to the large scale emigration of Christians from homelands which they have inhabited continuously for 2,000 years. Indeed, this emigration is already well underway.

It is heartening to note that the Assembly went on to call on its members to take a number of positive actions. And yet, at the same time, one senses that there is little likelihood the Council of Europe's 47 member states will actually do anything about this crisis. Although the recommendation passed overwhelmingly -- 125 to 9, with 13 abstentions -- like most recommendations from multinational organizations, it has no teeth, no real means of enforcement. By the way, the Turkish delegation was responsible for 7 of the 9 negative votes, and was the only delegation that failed to support the Recommendation. They were apparently upset that the Recommendation included a paragraph urging the Turkish government to investigate the circumstances surrounding the interruption of the celebration of Christmas Masses in Northern Cyprus. How sad that for some the truth is always perceived as an insult.

You can read the full text of the Assembly's Recommendation here: Violence against Christians in the Middle East

...or you can just read an overview of the Recommendation. This page also includes links to details on the Assembly's actions relating to this issue: Christian communities could disappear from the Middle East.

Persecution Update

Every so often I provide an update on just a few of the more egregious examples of the ongoing persecution of Christians throughout the world. The following items came to my attention in recent days.

Pakistan. A Christian woman and mother of five, Asia Bibi, 45, was recently sentenced to death by hanging for blasphemy. It seems some of her Muslim neighbors in her village accused her of saying unkind things about the "Prophet Muhammad."

Many outside Pakistan, including Pope Benedict XVI, are pleading for clemency, and even some in the Pakistani government are calling for her pardon and release. But Pakistan's President Zardari is under pressure from many influential and hard-line Muslim political groups to allow the execution to take place. Many have even threatened violence in the streets if Bibi is pardoned. Pray for this woman, that true justice be done rather than that poor imitation of justice known as sharia law. Click here to read more.

Pakistani Muslim militants calling for Asia Bibi's execution

Egypt. Egyptian authorities have been cracking down lately on the building of new Christian churches. The Coptic Church seems to be a special target, likely because it represents the largest group of Christians in Egypt.

In a recent incident 156 Copts were arrested and accused of rioting after police stopped the construction of their church, citing improper building permits. During the incident the police shot a 24-year-old Coptic woman, Milad Malak, who subsequently died as a result of her wounds. Many others were wounded. Click here to read more.

Iraq. Christians are being targeted throughout Iraq by Muslim militants who have vowed to rid the country of all Christians. In the latest incident, two Christian brothers were shot and killed in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul. The brothers, Saad and Raad Hannah were working in their auto mechanic shop when gunmen burst in and shot them dead. Local police say they were shot because they were Christian. This incident was similar to another in Mosul last week in which gunman burst into the Christian house and killed two residents in their living room. And a few weeks ago five Christians were murdered in Baghdad in a series of coordinated bombings of Christian homes and neighborhoods. Is it any wonder that Christians are fleeing the country in large numbers? Another question: Why does our government never speak of this when discussing the remarkable progress being made in Iraq? Click here to read more.

Iraqi man grieves at funeral for two slain Christian brothers

The promised persecutions continue...Pray for our brothers and sisters who desire only to live and worship in peace. They are wonderful witnesses of faith and courage in the face of persecution.

God's peace...

Massacre of Catholics by Muslim Extremists in Baghdad

Talk about timing...and in this instance, very bad timing.. Yesterday I devoted my brief post to the continued persecution of Christians throughout the world, and this morning I awoke to discover that Muslim extremists -- homicide bombers -- had attacked Our Lady of Salvation Catholic Church in Baghdad Sunday leaving more than 50 people dead, including the priest who was about to celebrate Mass at the time.

Our Lady of Salvation Syrian Catholic Church in Baghdad after the attack

According to reports, the extremists entered the church's sanctuary and immediately killed the priest. They then held upwards of 120 worshipers for four hours, at which time Iraqi security forces stormed the church. In the ensuing clash the terrorists set off their explosive vests, killing dozens of worshipers and severely wounding many others.

According to the BBC, "The gunmen had reportedly demanded the release of jailed al-Qaeda militants. A statement was posted on a militant website allegedly run by the Islamic State of Iraq, a Sunni militant umbrella group to which al-Qaeda in Iraq belongs, claiming responsibility for the attack. The statement reportedly said Iraqi Christians would be 'exterminated' if Muslim women in Egypt were not freed. It specifically mentioned two women in Egypt who radicals believe are being held against their will after converting to Islam."

The two women, who remain in hiding, have stated that they never converted, but had always been Christians. Of course, that shouldn't matter since everyone should be able to exercise religious freedom. It would seem that these extremists have their own unique approach to evangelization: "Believe what we believe, or we will kill you."

Speaking to pilgrims gathered for his All Saints' Day blessing, Pope Benedict XVI denounced the violence, and said that two priests had died in the attack. It's not certain whether both were killed during the initial violence or when the church was stormed later by security forces.The pope went on to tell the pilgrims that "I pray for the victims of this senseless violence, made even more ferocious because it struck defenseless people who were gathered in the house of God, which is a house of love and reconciliation."

This is just one more in a long series of attacks on Catholic churches in Iraq. Many churches have been bombed, including Our Lady of Salvation, and the attacks seem to be accelerating in both frequency and intensity. This pattern of overt anti-Christian violence is also one of the most under-reported stories. You certainly won't find it addressed in any serious way by the mainstream media. And yet how courageous are these Iraqi brothers and sisters of ours who persevere in their faith despite this kind of horrific violence. Pray for them.
To read more, click here: Catholics Killed at Mass in Iraq.

U.S. Chaldean Catholic Bishop on the Persecution of Iraqi Christians

Because of the turmoil in Iraq since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein half of the approximately one million pre-invasion Christians have fled Iraq, largely because of persecution. The invasion by the US-led coalition turned out to be one of those good-news, bad-news situations. Yes, the coalition rid the country and the world of a sadistic and dangerous dictator, but that same coalition misread the outcome. Saddam's ouster left a vacuum that allowed Jihadists and other bad guys to move in and do bad things to the Iraqi Christians. It would seem the US and other Western nations in the coalition really didn't understand the nature of Iraqi society with its strong tribal loyalties and explosive mixture of Sunni and Shiite Muslims, plus Christians and ethnic Kurds, all thrown into a pot in which nothing melts. It's one of those societies where, with the removal of a strong central government, power rules at the local level. And the Christians don't have a lot of power.

As you may or may not know, most Catholics in Iraq are of the Chaldean Catholic rite, one of the many Eastern rites of the Catholic Church, all in full communion with Rome. According to a Chaldean Catholic website, "there are approximately 150,000 Chaldeans in the U.S.A. They're spread all over the country but mainly in Detroit, San Diego, Los Angeles, Chicago, Turlock, San Jose and Arizona." Chaldean Catholics have two dioceses in the United States, one in Detroit and a second in San Diego. The Bishop of the Diocese of St. Thomas the Apostle, located in Detroit, is Bishop Ibrahim Ibrahim who was installed 28 years ago. This past weekend, Bishop Ibrahim celebrated a special Mass of thanksgiving at the Catholic cathedral in Knoxville, Tennessee for a large group of displaced Chaldean Catholic families who now live and worship there. This was a particularly special celebration for these refugees since on this day they were able to worship in their familiar Eastern rite and in their native language.

This day in which the refugees and their bishop came together for worship and community was also an occasion to initiate a new organization, Iraqi Christians in Need. The organization is devoted to helping the many Christian refugees from Iraq and to educate the American public on their situation. According to an article published on Catholic Online, Bishop Ibrahim hopes to establish missions wherever these refugees live enabling them to "worship and pray for peace and understanding in the world, so that all peoples may practice their faith in peace and security." He also suggested that President Obama's support of Islamic nations has emboldened the jihadists in their attacks against Christians while pleas for protection fall on deaf ears. It's a very sad situation. This is a very worthy ministry and all American Catholics should willingly support these brothers and sisters in Christ who have suffered so much.

I've included a video below that was produced by Iraqi Christians in Need.

Ordination of Priests and Deacons in Iraq

Despite all the violence and persecution directed toward Christians in this still unstable country, God is blessing Iraq with vocations. For example, the Chaldean Archbishop of Kirkuk ordained two priests and four permanent deacons on July 16. Just a week earlier another Chaldean priest was ordained in a northern province and a fourth will be ordained on July 23 in Mosul. This might not sound like large numbers, but when one considers the number of Chaldean Catholics in the population, these ordinations are quite significant. Indeed, when compared with some American dioceses who will have no ordinations this year, the numbers are even more impressive. And the Chaldean Catholics aren't the only ones ordaining priests in Iraq. The Syro-Catholics have also ordained several new priests in recent weeks. What a blessing for these courageous Christians who continue to suffer for God's glory. Click here to read more.