Anniversary of the 21 Coptic Christians Martyred in Libya
Statement by His Grace Bishop Angaelos, General Bishop of the Coptic Orthodox Church in the United Kingdom
12 February 2016
For decades we have witnessed the
systematic intimidation, persecution, abduction, and even execution of
Christians and minorities in the Middle East, but the horrific murder of 21
Coptic Christians in Libya 12 months ago had a significant and marked effect on
millions around the world. This reaction seemed to clearly indicate that even
evil had a line it should not cross.
The Egyptians, and their friend from
Ghana, who were brutally murdered were not statesmen, religious leaders,
activists or spokesmen, but ordinary men from villages working to support their
families. Those who took their lives sought not only to victimise and
disempower them, but to be triumphalist and instil fear in them and in the
hearts and minds of all who witnessed this crime. What resulted however was a
vision of honour, dignity and resilience demonstrated by these 21 men as they
faced the final moments of their lives with their heads raised, and their lips
calmly, powerfully and defiantly uttering their Faith. They indeed did "...not fear those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul" (Matthew 10:28).
An even stronger and more
inconceivable message of forgiveness came from their families and communities.
They rejected the temptation to become bitter, angry and vengeful, and inspired
the world with their gracious and courageous sentiment. Speaking proudly of the
resilience of their fathers, brothers, and sons, who had captured the attention
of the whole world, they also uttered their forgiveness for those who had so
brutally and needlessly taken their lives, and who sought to rob them of their
dignity.
Over this last year, the persecution
of Christians and minorities in the Middle East has been relentless. We have
seen communities forced to leave their historic homelands and places of
heritage that they had been an instrumental part of for generations. We
continue to witness an unprecedented brutality which includes abductions,
decapitation, people burned and buried alive, sold into slavery, women sold as
sex slaves and children either sold or recruited as child fighters. These
crimes are a polar opposite to the civilisation that we should have reached in
the life of equality and freedom that we both seek and advocate for around the
world. This shows what can happen when we are not vigilant.
What we are now seeing played out in
the Middle East has not happened overnight, but has come after generations of
the alienation, marginalisation and persecution of Christians and minority
groups throughout the region. Boundaries are challenged and pushed, and when
there is no repercussion they are pushed further. The phenomenon starts with
people being denied daily justice and equality in society, they are then deemed
irrelevant and inconsistent, in the eyes of some, with what the region should
be, and finally, they are persecuted, displaced and sometimes even killed.
We must continue to look at the
Middle East, and indeed every place where there is persecution, and not only
condemn that persecution but work to restore the basic God-given rights and
freedoms that we should all be able to live, for “where the Spirit of the Lord
is, there is liberty” (2 Corinthians 3:17). The 21 Coptic Christians and 30
Ethiopian and Eritrean Christians, along with the thousands who have died at
the hands of those who seek to instil terror, are far too many.
While the picture is bleak, as a
Christian I know that the greatest place for light is in darkness, and the
greatest opportunity to do good is where there is greatest evil. In seeing all
that we have over the last year in the Middle East, it has also given rise to
so many examples of bravery, generosity, faithfulness, and a powerful witness
of good. We must continue to advocate, to stand for what we believe God has
given to us as humanity, to be powerful in the face of injustice, generous in
the face of atrocity, forgiving in the face of hatred, reconciliatory in the
face of conflict and light in the presence of any darkness.
