If you have been following the news of late you are aware of the massive protests being waged in some North African nations, most notably Tunisia and Egypt. It has been demanding the headlines for quite a few days.
I read with interest today that the former rector of Rome’s Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies, Father Justo Lacunza Balda, sent Catholic News Service an email in which he said that neither the armed forces nor the police will be able to stop these protests from continuing. Here are some quotes as given by Catholic News Service (CNS).
“Ordinary people cannot tolerate anymore the appalling conditions of human degradation in which they live. They say, ‘Enough is enough’ and believe that they have nothing else to lose… Therefore, neither the police nor the army will stop people in the Arab countries from demanding freedom and human dignity… Poverty and misery, lack of democracy and human rights are a constant in Egypt, Tunis, Algeria, Jordan, Morocco, Yemen…. The youth see no future… the divide between the filthy rich and the poor… political instability.”
He also made mention of the persecution of the Christians.
“[Christians] suffer intolerance, discrimination and hatred. Their places of worship are attacked and they are the object of sectarian violence. This is not new, and it might get worse in the future… Few voices are heard today taking the defense of the Christians, the biggest persecuted group in the world — in Egypt, the majorityf Muslim states and in communist-ruled countries.”
Read CNS’s complete article at: Catholic News Service.
