Persecution

AP - Gasps, tears as Iraqis return to IS-destroyed parish
The AP reports: "There were gasps, followed by tears at a small church in northern Iraq as a group of Christians returned to their parish Sunday to find that everything had been destroyed, including the statue of the Virgin Mary, which Islamic State militants had decapitated before they left. A confessional had been turned into a closet, a tomb had been desecrated, red prayer benches were burned. [...] Keramlis, a Christian town on the Nineveh plains in northern Iraq, fell to IS in August 2014 [...] The town was retaken by Iraq forces three weeks ago as part of the push for Mosul, but most of its homes were destroyed in the process. [...] Christians once constituted a sizeable minority in Iraq, but their numbers have dwindled since the 2003 U.S.-led invasion as many have emigrated to the West to escape violence."

Comment: It's really a shame what's happening to Christian communities in the Middle East. You may think it's just Iraq but really, it's happening in the entire region. Please join me in praying for our persecuted brothers and sisters living in the Middle East.