In a New Year’s Day appeal, Pope Benedict XVI urged Christians to remain strong in the face of violence and intolerance. Worshippers leaving mass from an Egyptian church walked into a bomb blast killing 21 people and injuring dozens of others. A bomb exploded in front of a Coptic Christian church in Alexandria, in an attack that raised suspicions of an al-Qaida role. In a January 1, 2010 Associated Press news release by Frances D’Emilio, the Pope denounced abuses of Christians.
Bomb Hits Egypt Church
Police initially stated the blast originated from an explosives-packed vehicle parked outside the church; however the Interior Ministry later said it was more likely from a suicide bomber.
According to Father Mena Adel, the priest who delivered the New Year’s Day Mass, an estimated 1,000 Christians attended Mass at the Saints Church. The service ended about one half hour after midnight and as some worshippers were leaving the building the bomb exploded.
This attack was the deadliest violence involving Christians in Egypt since 1999 when at least 20 people, mostly Christians, were killed in sectarian clashes.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak vowed to track down those responsible for the attack saying, "We will cut off the hands of terrorists and those plotting against Egypt's security." Mubarak also stated, "This terrorist act has shaken the conscience of the nation," adding that, "all Egypt was targeted, and terrorism does not distinguish between Copt and Muslim."
Pope Benedict XVI
On New Year’s Day the Pope spoke out against a widening campaign that is targeting Christians in the Middle East. From his home at St. Peter's Basilica, the Pope echoed comments he made last month in which he stated a lack of religious freedom is a threat to world security.
He urged, "In the face of the threatening tensions of the moment, especially in the face of discrimination, of abuse of power and religious intolerance that today particularly strikes Christians, I again direct a pressing invitation not to yield to discouragement and resignation."
Pope Benedict XVI has repeatedly denounced a campaign against Christians in Iraq blamed on al-Qaida militants; this includes an October attack on a Catholic church in Baghdad that took 68 lives. The Pope is worried that an exodus of minority Christians from Iraq will not only permanently reduce numbers it will discourage the wider community of all Christians in the Middle East.
World Peace Day
The Vatican celebrates New Year's as World Peace Day, and Pope Benedict XVI urged world leaders to make a "concrete and constant commitment" to help bring world peace.
The Vatican announced last summer that the theme for the World Peace Day 2011 celebration is "Religious Freedom, the Path to Peace." The Pope’s original intentions were to discuss how the fundamental human right to believe in God is a prerequisite for full human development and "a condition for the realization of the common good and the promotion of peace in the world." This New Year’s Day attack has solidified this theme.
"In many parts of the world there exist various forms of restrictions or denials of religious freedom, from discrimination and marginalization based on religion to acts of violence against religious minorities," a July 13, 2010 Catholic News statement said.
Pope Benedict XVI stated in the New Year’s Day AP news release that 2011 is an opportunity to reflect "on the great challenges that our epoch poses to humanity." He calls threats to religious freedom an urgent matter.
Sources:
AP News, January 1, 2011. Pope denounces abuses of Christians
Catholic News Services, July 13, 2010. Pope's 2011 World Peace Day message to focus on religious freedom
NPR News, January 1, 2011. Bomb Hits Egypt Church At New Year's Mass
Karen Stephenson - Karen has written for several newspapers and print media in addition to many online publications. She holds a B.A. in English and an ...
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