The Vatican's permanent observer at the United Nations has criticised the current lack of political will to resolve conflicts in the Middle East, and accused the US and Russia of showing little real concern about the growing persecution of Christians.
"As Christians, we must be optimistic, knowing providence guides history," said Archbishop Silvano Tomasi. "But we have to get beyond the mentality that supposes violent conflict is the only way to resolve difficulties and problems. There are other means – we have to build trust, so people can talk and reach reasonable compromises".
In a Vatican Radio interview, the Italian archbishop said Catholic and Orthodox leaders in the Middle East had provided "direct evidence" of the plight of local Christians, but said an international commitment to help had been blocked by opposing US and Russian interests.
"If we do not stand up for peaceful solutions there, we will make ourselves complicit in ending the Christian presence in Iraq and Syria," Archbishop Tomasi added. "However, we are faced with a lack of political will to settle the violent conditions we see in various parts of the world, especially the Middle East. If this continues, the new year will be a dramatic one.”
The 74-year-old diplomat has represented the Holy See in Geneva since 2003 and has repeatedly urged greater commitment by governments and international institutions to defend human rights and religious freedom. In August, he said action to prevent anti-Christian outrages by militant Islamists was now a "moral imperative", adding that sanctions and military force could be justified under Article 42 of the UN Charter.
Meanwhile the charity Open Doors said in its annual report that persecution of Christians reached “historic levels” in 2014 and is due to get worse. The charity, which supports persecuted believers, said: “While the year 2014 will go down in history for having the highest level of global persecution of Christians in the modern era, current conditions suggest the worst is yet to come.”
North Korea topped its 2015 list of countries where it is most difficult and dangerous to be a Christian, with the most rapid growth of persecution in Africa due to Islamic extremism. The Middle East remains one of the most violent areas of the world for Christians, it said.
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