Historic Nantes Cathedral in France is Burning. Arson Is Strongly Suspected

Breaking: There is a massive fire at the historic Nantes Cathedral in France. pic.twitter.com/kvlhCD95Ga

— Fukushima Exposed🇨🇦 (@fukushimaexpos2) July 18, 2020

WNU Editor: Police are saying that multiple fires were started. I visited the church about 20 years ago. This is  heart breaking. More details on the history of the church is below.

Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul of Nantes is on fire

The cathedral's foundation stone was laid in 1434 and took 457 years to complete.

Cathedrals are the spiritual hearts of Christendom.

They are in no small measure our most important works of art and architecture. pic.twitter.com/JB3SVJBg9W

— ArchitecturalRevival (@Arch_Revival_) July 18, 2020

Why Is The Mainstream Media Ignoring The Mass Killings Of Christians Across The Globe?

Zero Hedge: Why Does The Mainstream Media Purposely Ignore Mass Killings Of Christians Across The Globe?

Last week, when a deranged lunatic gunned down dozens of Muslims at two mosques in New Zealand it suddenly became the biggest news story in the world, and rightly so.

It was a major news event, and it needed to be reported. But shouldn’t mass killings of Christians be given the same sort of media coverage? Sadly, we all know that doesn’t happen. Whenever there is a mass killing of Christians, it is usually entirely ignored by the mainstream media in the United States, and it doesn’t take a genius to figure out why this is happening. Those that control the mainstream media consider Christians to be one of the main obstacles to “progress” in this country, and so any story that would put Christians in a positive or sympathetic light simply does not fit any of the narratives that they are pushing.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: My sentiments exactly. In my opinion one of the most under-reported stories of the past decade has been the industrial scale extermination of the Christian population and its culture in the Middle East. And it is a lack of coverage that still continues.

245 Million Christians Face Violence And Oppression Worldwide

Daily Mail: Christians suffered an increase in persecution last year with 245 MILLION facing violence or oppression around the world - 30 million more than a year ago

* Around 30million more Christians than a year ago suffered from persecution
* Open Doors, a Dutch charity, published a report into Christian persecution
* It said millions more Christians in India and China had been targeted last year

Christians around the world suffered a huge increase in persecution last year - with around 30 million more people being targeted than in the previous year.

A report by Open Doors, a Dutch charity that supports persecuted Christians showed that in total, 245 million faced violence or oppression in 2018, with 73 countries listed as danger zones for Christians.

China has been named among the most dangerous places to be a Christian after new laws governing religious expression led to raids and the demolition of scores of churches.

Read more ....

Update #1: Open Doors USA Reveals World's Worst Persecutors of Christians (CBN)
Update #2: Open Doors 2019 report: Persecution is on the rise globally (Christian Today).

WNU Editor: The Open Doors list of the worse offenders is here.

China Intensifies Its Persecution Of Christians

Photos of Chinese President Xi Jinping and former Communist Party chairman Mao Zedong flank a cross inside a church. (Supplied: Liang Zhang)

ABC News Online: China cracks down on religion, crosses burned at Christian churches, Xi Jinping photos installed

China has intensified its crackdown on religion, with images emerging of crosses being burned and destroyed at Christian churches.

The crosses are said to often be replaced with objects such as the Chinese flag and photos of Chinese President Xi Jinping and former Communist Party leader Mao Zedong.

In one video posted on Twitter earlier this month, fire is seen engulfing the cross at the Chinese Christian Church in Xinxiang city, in the country's central Henan province.

Liang Zhang, 48, the pastor of a house church in Henan's Shangqiu city, said the state had been tightening its control over church operations.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: You have to go back to the Cultural Revolution to see this type of persecution.

Christian Churches Will Now Be Permitted In Saudi Arabia?

Daily Mail: Saudi Arabia 'agrees deal with Vatican to build churches for Christians living in the Muslim country'

* Middle Eastern media has reported a deal between Saudi Arabia and the Vatican
* The supposed deal would see the Saudi government help Christian worshippers
* Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran has visited Saudi Arabia and met the royals this year

Saudi Arabia has agreed a deal with the Vatican to build churches for Christian worshippers in the Arab country, it is claimed by Middle Eastern media.

If confirmed, the supposed agreement between Cardinal Jean-Louis Tauran and Mohammed bin Abdel Karim Al-Issa of the Muslim World League would mark a historic first in Saudi history.

Read more ....

Update #1: Saudi Arabia to build churches for christian citizens (Egypt Independent)
Update #2: Saudi Arabia, Vatican reportedly agree to build Christian churches in the Kingdom (FOX News)

WNU Editor: You cannot be a Saudi citizen if you are a Christian. So why do a deal with the Vatican to build a few churches? This sounds more like a PR move to me.

Christians Are Fleeing The Middle East In One Of The Greatest Exodus of Our Times

Iraqis attend the Palm Sunday procession in the burned-out main church of the Christian city of Qaraqosh after Iraqi forces retook it from Islamic State militants. PHOTO: SUHAIB SALEM/REUTERS

Maria Abi-Habib, Wall Street Journal: Christians, in an Epochal Shift, Are Leaving the Middle East

Fueled by strife, civil war and the rise of extremist groups, the exodus deepens the dominance of Islam

TANTA, Egypt—Like the Jews before them, Christians are fleeing the Middle East, emptying what was once one of the world’s most-diverse regions of its ancient religions.

They’re being driven away not only by Islamic State, but by governments the U.S. counts as allies in the fight against extremism.

When suicide bomb attacks ripped through two separate Palm Sunday services in Egypt last month, parishioners responded with rage at Islamic State, which claimed the blasts, and at Egyptian state security.

Government forces assigned to the Mar Girgis church in Tanta, north of Cairo, neglected to fix a faulty metal detector at the entrance after church guards found a bomb on the grounds just a week before. The double bombing killed at least 45 people, and came despite promises from the Egyptian government to protect its Christian minority.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: The overwhelming persecution and discrimination of Christians by Muslims in the Middle East .... coupled with Western politicians and governments being largely silent .... is in my opinion one of the most under-reported stories of the past few years. Kudos to the Wall Street Journal for at least giving a glimpse on what is happening.

Christians Have No Future In The Middle East

A mass grave containing the remains of members of the Yazidi community killed by Islamic State jihadists group was discovered near the Iraqi village of Sinuni in 2015 ©Safin Hamed (AFP)

WNU Editor: This is unfortunately very true .... Christians say defeating IS won't make Iraq safe for them (AP), and protests from the West are too little and too late .... US decries IS 'genocide' of Christians, Shiites, Yazidis (AFP)

Iraq's Oldest Catholic Monastery Has Been Utterly Destroyed By The Islamic State

Daily Mail/AP: Iraq's oldest Christian monastery that has stood for 1,400 years is destroyed in seconds: Satellite image reveals how ISIS reduced sacred site to rubble

* Dair Mar Elia, known as St. Elijah's Monastery in English, has been completely levelled by ISIS
* The monastery, located south of Mosul, northern Iraq, was built in the 600s, making it 1,400 years old
* It was Iraq's oldest Christian monastery and had recently functioned as a place of worship for U.S. troops

The oldest Christian monastery in Iraq, which had survived for more than 1,400 years, has been reduced to a field of rubble by ISIS fighters, satellite images confirm.

St. Elijah's Monastery, south of Mosul, northern Iraq, has been completely wiped out by the Islamist terrorist, joining a list of dozens of historical and religious sites purposely destroyed by the group.

Experts believe ISIS fighters would have used every measure available to destroy the monastery, which had most recently served as a place of worship for U.S. troops, including bulldozers, sledgehammers and possibly explosives.

Read more ....

More News On Reports That Iraq's Oldest Catholic Monastery Has Been Destroyed By The Islamic State

Isis 'to eliminate Christianity from Iraq': 1,400-year-old St Elijah's Monastery of Mosul flattened -- IBTimes
ISIS destroys Iraq's oldest Christian monastery, satellite photos confirm -- FOX News/AP
ISIS destroys 1,400-year-old Mosul monastery -- RUDAW

President Obama: 'Praying For God's Protection For Persecuted Christians'

White House: Statement by the President on Persecuted Christians at Christmas

During this season of Advent, Christians in the United States and around the world are preparing to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. At this time, those of us fortunate enough to live in countries that honor the birthright of all people to practice their faith freely give thanks for that blessing. Michelle and I are also ever-mindful that many of our fellow Christians do not enjoy that right, and hold especially close to our hearts and minds those who have been driven from their ancient homelands by unspeakable violence and persecution.

In some areas of the Middle East where church bells have rung for centuries on Christmas Day, this year they will be silent; this silence bears tragic witness to the brutal atrocities committed against these communities by ISIL.

We join with people around the world in praying for God’s protection for persecuted Christians and those of other faiths, as well as for those brave men and women engaged in our military, diplomatic, and humanitarian efforts to alleviate their suffering and restore stability, security, and hope to their nations. As the old Christmas carol reminds us:

The Wrong shall fail,

The Right prevail,

With peace on earth, good-will to men.

Update: Obama says he's praying for 'God's protection for persecuted Christians' (CNN)

WNU editor: Its about time he is using his office to point out what is happening to Christians in the Middle East and elsewhere. And while he has said these things before (here and there) .... he has to be more public, blunt, and repetitive that in a civilized world such behaviour will not be tolerated or ignored.

Christianity Facing Middle East Purge Within Decade

FOX News: On the brink: Christianity facing Middle East purge within decade, says group

The dwindling Christian population of the Middle East could vanish completely within a decade unless the global community intervenes, say alarmed aid groups who say followers of the Bible are being killed, driven from their land or forced to renounce their faith at an unprecedented pace.

The world has largely stood by as a dangerous tide of intolerance has washed over the region, according to a new study by the international Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need. The study includes disturbing data about the plunging numbers of Christians in the part of the world that gave birth to the faith, and makes a dire prediction of what could happen.

WNU Editor: My experience has been that Western governments are not focused or interested in saving Christians from the Middle East .... the priority right now for these Western governments is to accommodate the flood of Muslim refugees who are fleeing the conflict.

Christianity Is Being Wiped Out In The Middle East

Residents walk near a damaged church June 8 in Qusair, Syria, on their way to inspect their houses and collect their belongings. (CNS/Reuters/Rami Bleibel)

Christianity Forced From Its Middle East Birthplace -- The Australian/The Times

SAMIR’S children still remember their last Christmas in Maaloula, before Islamist militants overran the ancient Syrian Christian town.

“They remember the snow,” Samir says, rubbing his thumb over the tiny crucifix tattoo imprinted on his hand, as he waits for handouts at a refugee centre in Beirut. He knows, however, that it is only a matter of time before his children’s memories of their hometown fade. “It’s impossible to ever go back,” he says.

Samir and his family are part of an exodus of Christians from communities across the Middle East that is raising alarm bells about the disappearance of the faith from the region of its birth. They have been leaving the Middle East for decades, in search of better economic opportunities and, in the case of Lebanon, to escape the civil war, but, more recently, they have begun to flee because of persecution — beginning with the Christians of Iraq, whose numbers halved in the ten years after the American-led invasion.

Read more ....

Update: Pope Francis’ words to Middle East -- Washington Times

My Comment: Christian persecution is not only happening in the Middle East .... Christians most persecuted and discriminated against worldwide (Irish Times).

160,000 Iraqi Christians Have Fled Mosul

Displaced Iraqi people from the minority Yazidi sect, fleeing violence in the Iraqi town of Sinjar west of Mosul, walk at the Qadia camp on the outskirts of Dohuk province December 7, 2014.

Image by: Stringer/Iraq/Reuters

At Least 160,000 Iraqi Christians Flee Mosul: Iraqi MP -- Press TV

At least 160,000 Iraqi Christians have been forced out of their homes in the city of Mosul after the ISIL Takfiri terrorists seized Iraq's second-largest city in June, a Christian lawmaker says.

"Christian families have been displaced from the city because of violence and death threats from this terrorist group," the parliament member, Emad Yukhana, said on Saturday.

He added that few European countries had taken in some of the displaced Iraqi Christians.

"The majority of Christians have taken shelter in [northern Iraqi semi-autonomous] Kurdistan [region]," the lawmaker said.

Read more ....

Update: 160,000 Iraqi Christians flee Mosul in Iraq (IANS)

My Comment: Western news agencies have a long history of ignoring the plight of the Christian community in the Middle East .... but kudos to Press TV .... a pro-Iranian Islamic news service .... who feels that at least someone should cover this humanitarian disaster.

Iraq’s Religious Minorities Are Being Slaughtered By The Islamic State

Iraq’s Religious Minorities Are Being Slaughtered And ISIS Just Captured The Last Town Giving Them Shelter -- Andrew Slater, Daily Beast

ISIS just captured the Iraqi town of Sinjar in the first major defeat of Kurdish forces. Religious groups that had taken refuge there are in imminent danger of being massacred.

In a major defeat for Kurdish forces the Iraqi town of Sinjar was captured Sunday by the group known as ISIS, now calling itself the Islamic State. This is the Kurds first major loss to ISIS and a catastrophe for the religious minorities who had taken refuge in the area and are now at imminent risk of being slaughtered.

Reports from the region describe an unfolding tragedy with young women being abducted, religious monuments destroyed, and the ISIS flag now hanging over government buildings.

Without Western champions and sympathizers, the non-Christian religious minorities of Nineveh province are being slowly exterminated, driven off, or forced into hiding.

Read more ....

Update: UN warns of 'humanitarian tragedy' as militants seize town in northern Iraq -- UN News Centre

My Comment: And the world says nothing.

ISIS Militants Continue The Destruction Of Iraq's Cultural Treasures And The Extermination Of The Christian Faith

ISIS Militants Wreak Havoc On Iraq's Cultural Treasures -- FOX News

The Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), the Sunni Muslim insurgent group who swept across northern and western Iraq earlier this year, menacing Baghdad in the process, has commenced the systematic destruction of the country's cultural treasures.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the group had destroyed a mosque in the northern Iraq city of Mosul that contained a shrine believed to be the tomb of Jonah -- who is revered as a prophet by Christians, Jews, and Muslims. The paper reported that the militants had wired the periphery of the mosque with explosives and then detonated them.

Read more ....

More News On ISIS Militants Continuing The Destruction Of Iraq's Cultural Treasures And The Elimination of Christians

Jihadists in Iraq Erase Cultural Heritage -- WSJ
ISIS militants blow up Prophet Jonas’ tomb in Iraq – video -- RT
Trampled in Abraham’s dust: The destruction of Near Eastern Christianity -- Jerusalem Post
Iraq’s Christians: Nearly all gone -- The Economist
After leveling Iraq’s Tomb of Jonah, the Islamic State could destroy ‘anything in the Bible’ -- Justin Moyer, Washington Post
Christianity as we know it in Iraq is being wiped out -- WND
Anglican Vicar: End of Christianity in Iraq Is 'Very Near' -- Breitbart
Does Jonah's tomb signal the death of Christianity in Iraq? -- Joel S. Baden and Candida Moss, Special to CNN

My Comment: And nothing but silence from our leaders in the West.

1,800 Year Old Christian Church In mosul Burned Down By ISIS

#ISIS burns 1,800-year-old church in #Mosul http://t.co/TA2hBFMyah pic.twitter.com/SK0F6jpQpX
— Al Arabiya English (@AlArabiya_Eng) July 20, 2014

ISIS Burns 1,800-Year-Old Church In Mosul -- Al Arabiya

Militants from the radical jihadist group the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria have set fire to a 1,800-year-old church in Iraq’s second largest city of Mosul, a photo released Saturday shows.

The burning of the church is the latest in a series of destruction of Christian property in Mosul, which was taken by the Islamist rebels last month, along with other swathes of Iraqi territory.

A video posted on YouTube July 9 shows a tomb being destroyed with a sledgehammer which government officials said was “almost certainly” the tomb of Biblical prophet Jonah.

Earlier, Mosul’s Christians fled the city en masse before a Saturday deadline issued by the al-Qaeda-inspired Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS) for them to either convert to Islam, pay tax, leave or be killed.

Al Arabiya correspondent in Iraq Majid Hamid said the deadline set by the jihadist group was 12 p.m. Iraqi time (10 a.m. GMT). Hamid reported that many Christians fled the city on Friday. It is not clear if any remained after the deadline.

Read more ....

More News On ISIS's Destruction of The Christian Community In Mosul

ISIS Torches 1800-Year-Old Mosul Church After Expelling Christians -- MSN News
ISIS In Iraq Threatens To Kill Christians, Burns Down 1,800-Year-Old Church -- Inquistr
ISIS burns 1,800-year-old church in Mosul -- Ammon News
ISIS Torches 1,800-Year-Old Church in Mosul; Priest Says City Is 'Now Empty of Christians' -- Christian Post
ISIL Spearheads Worldwide War On Christians -- IBD Editorial

Massive Christian Exodus From Northern Iraq Is Now Underway

Facing Fines, Conversion Or Death, Christian Families Flee Mosul -- CNN

Baghdad, Iraq (CNN) -- Just days after the militant group the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria said they killed hundreds of Syrians, dozens of Iraqi Christian families are now fleeing the ISIS-controlled city of Mosul, hoping to avoid a similar fate.

On Friday, the al Qaeda splinter group issued an ultimatum to Iraqi Christians living in Mosul -- by Saturday at noon (5 a.m. ET), they must convert to Islam, pay a fine or face "death by the sword."

A total of 52 Christian families left the city of Mosul early Saturday morning, with an armed group prohibiting some of them from taking anything but the clothes on their backs.

"They told us, 'You to leave all of your money, gold, jewelry and go out with only the clothes on you,'" Wadie Salim told CNN.

Read more ....

More News On Christian Fleeing Northern Iraq

Iraqi Christians flee after Isis issue Mosul ultimatum -- BBC
Islamist Insurgents in Northern Iraq Threaten Christians -- Wall Street Journal
Under threat, Iraq's Christians flee city of Mosul -- FOX News/AP
Christians flee jihadist ultimatum in Iraq's Mosul -- AFP
Thousands of Iraqi Christians pour out of Mosul after ISIS jihadis give them deadline to convert, pay or face death -- Daily Mail
Convert, pay or die: Iraqi Christians flee Mosul after Islamic State ultimatum -- RT
Convert, Pay Tax, Or Die, Islamic State Warns Christians -- Reuters
Time runs out for Christian Iraq: Isis deadline passes with mass flight -- The Independent
Concern and Support for Iraqi Christians Forced by Militants to Flee Mosul -- New York Times
Christians flee from Islamic State threats -- Al Jazeera
Islamic ultimatum to Christians in Iraq northern city -- Deutsche Welle
In northern Iraq, gains by Islamic State threaten centuries-old Christian town -- Washington Post

My Comment: The Christian/Assyrian community has existed in Mosul for almost 6,000 years .... first as Assyrians, and later as Christians. That long history has now come to an end.

The Mass Exodus Of The Last Christians In Iraq Begins

Mar Mattai monastery outside Mosul, continually inhabited by monks since the 4th century A.D. American Conservative/Chris De Bruyn/cc

Mosul Islamist Take-Over: Up To 1,000 Christian Families Have Reportedly Fled Iraq's Second Biggest City -- Christian Today

A mass exodus is underway from Iraq's second largest city Mosul after its seizure by the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, ISIS, an Iraq and Syria-based Sunni Muslim extremist group.

The BBC reports about 150,000 people have fled the city - population about 1.8 million. World Watch Monitor can confirm that up to a thousand Christian families have fled, for safer areas.

Read more ....

More News On The Cleansing Of Christians From Iraq

Thousands of Christians flee Islamic jihadists' rampage through Iraq city -- Ecumenical News
Iraq: “All the Christians have fled Mosul” -- Catholic World report
Mosul Being Cleansed of Christians as Thousands Flee -- CBN
Mosul's ancient Christian population may never return, laments archbishop of city seized by insurgents -- The Tablet
Iraqi Military, Christians Flee Islamist Onslaught -- CBN News
Christian-hating jihadists are poised to eliminate the Church in Iraq -- Catholic Herald
Christians in their thousands flee terror in Iraq -- UCA News
Iraq’s Vulnerable Christians Further Imperiled by Jihadist Advance -- CNS News
ISIS May Expel Iraq’s Christians for Good -- American Conservative
The Cleansing of Iraq's Christians Is Entering Its End Game -- Nina Shea, Christian Post

My Comment: From a historical perspective this is an incredible depressing event. Mosul has had a Christian community for almost 1,800 years .... and today .... they are now all gone.

The Growth Of Christianity In China

More people go to church on Sunday in China than in the whole of Europe. BBC

China On Course To Become 'World's Most Christian Nation' Within 15 years -- The Telegraph

The number of Christians in Communist China is growing so steadily that it by 2030 it could have more churchgoers than America

It is said to be China's biggest church and on Easter Sunday thousands of worshippers will flock to this Asian mega-temple to pledge their allegiance – not to the Communist Party, but to the Cross.

The 5,000-capacity Liushi church, which boasts more than twice as many seats as Westminster Abbey and a 206ft crucifix that can be seen for miles around, opened last year with one theologian declaring it a "miracle that such a small town was able to build such a grand church".

The £8 million building is also one of the most visible symbols of Communist China's breakneck conversion as it evolves into one of the largest Christian congregations on earth.

Read more ....

My Comment: This is one of those stories that is always under-reported by the western media .... but will have a huge impact in the years to come. Regular readers know that I lived in China for one year in the mid-1980s (I was with a group that was sent to develop business and trade), to learn the language (just the basics), and to enjoy the culture (which involved heavy drinking). The business did not fly (we were years ahead of our time), but I still have my friendships and contacts .... and I do make a point of visiting China every two years to visit these friends and contacts (we still drink .... but in moderation). But it was on my first trip that struck me the most on how much China was changing .... and on that trip I was brought to a centuries old church that was converted into a factory .... but on Sundays and on special occasions it was a church. I expected to see only a few old people ... but what I saw was a place that was packed to the rafters with young people, families, and their children. This was (for me) the first sign of real change in China. Tom Phillips' prediction that China will be the "world's most Christina" nation within 15 years is spot on .... which is incredible because such a possibility was considered impossible only 15 years ago.

2,123 Christians Murdered Worldwide For Being Christian In 2013

Photo from Catholic Online

Reported Christian 'Martyr' Deaths Double In 2013: Report -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Reported cases of Christians killed for their faith around the world doubled in 2013 from the year before, with Syria accounting for more than the whole global total in 2012, according to an annual survey.

Open Doors, a non-denominational group supporting persecuted Christians worldwide, said on Wednesday it had documented 2,123 "martyr" killings, compared with 1,201 in 2012. There were 1,213 such deaths in Syria alone last year, it said.

"This is a very minimal count based on what has been reported in the media and we can confirm," said Frans Veerman, head of research for Open Doors. Estimates by other Christian groups put the annual figure as high as 8,000.

Read more ....

More News On Global Numbers Of Christians Murdered For Being Christian

Islamic extremism to blame as Christian deaths nearly double in a year – report -- RT
Deaths of Christian ‘Martyrs’ Doubled in 2013 -- Time
No. of Christians killed for their faith doubles in 2014 World Watch List -- Christian Today
Time, Reuters Refer to 'Martyrs' with Scare Quotes in Stories Noting Fatal Persecution of Syrian Christians -- Ken Shepherd, Newsbusters

My Comment: These numbers are probably only the tip of the iceberg.

No Christmas In iraq

Photo: Refugee Iraqi Christians attend a pre-Christmas mass at Chaldean Catholic church in Amman December 22, 2010/Ali Jarekji

No Christmas Festivities For Some Iraq Christians -- Reuters

(Reuters) - Some church leaders in Iraq have told Christians not to celebrate Christmas except with prayer after lethal attacks and continuing threats by militants against the Iraqi Christian community.

"No Santa Claus, no celebrations, no gifts this year," Archbishop Louis Sako, chairman of the Chaldean archbishops in Kirkuk and Sulaimaniya, said on Wednesday. "We don't have the right to jeopardize others' lives."

In a new threat published on an Islamist website, the local affiliate of al Qaeda threatened more attacks against Iraqi Christians.

Insurgent attacks have panicked Iraq's minority Christian community. Thousands have fled to the semi-autonomous northern Kurdish region or overseas.

Read more ....

My Comment: As I have mentioned more than once in this blog .... the plight of Christians in the Middle East is one of the most under-reported stories in the world today.

Update: Christmas bomb attacks kill 34 in Baghdad's Christian areas -- Reuters