Today’s Martyrs

1. Today’s Martyrs

2. Why Today’s Martyrs? Black Sunday in Bagdad ShahbazBhatti The Kouame-Kacou Brothers Maspero

3. October 31, 2010: Adam Udai- Black Sunday in Bagdad Al-Qaeda linked terrorists attack a Chaldean Catholic church during the Holy Qurbana, killing 58. The youngest victim was 3 year old Adam Udai, who looked at one terrorist and said “Please stop”

4. March 2, 2011: The Assassination of ShahbazBhatti Pakistan Minister for Minority Affairs Worked to repeal Pakistan’s blasphemy laws Received numerous death threats and expected that he would be killed Said in a video released after his death "I believe in Jesus Christ who has given his own life for us, and I am ready to die for a cause. I'm living for my community ... and I will die to defend their rights.“ The Catholic Church in Pakistan has requested that ShahbazBhatti be beautified as a martyr and that a case for canonization be opened

5. May 29, 2011: The Crucifixion of the Kouame-Kacou Brothers Two brothers, Raphael Aka Kouame and KouassiPrivatKacou, were crucified together in Binkro in the Ivory Coast. After the Muslim perpetrators left they were taken down and brought to the hospital. Kouassi survived his wounds but Raphael did not.

6. October 9-10, 2011: The Maspero Massacre Egyptian Christians gathered in front of the Maspero television building in Cairo to protest the demolition of a church in Aswan by Salafi Muslims with the support of the provincial governor. Army units attacked the protesters with the result that 28 died and 212 were injured. Videos show armored vehicles deliberately plowing into the crowds and running over people.

7. Today’s Martyrs e-newsletter • Begun Thanksgiving 2011 • Intended to provide a brief description of individual cases of Christian martyrdom and a continuing historical record • Focus is on the individual Christian – incidents without names are not reported • Has published 23 newsletters on average per month with 9,530 news entries covering 7,240 individual Christians in 127 political entities

8. Who are today’s martyrs?

9. Who are today’s martyrs? They are Christians from all churches • Non-Trinitarian Churches • Protestant Reformation Churches • Latin (Roman Catholic) Church • Eastern Orthodox Churches • Eastern Oriental Churches • Church of the East • Messianic Judiasm

10. Church of the East Founded as the Church of Babylon by St Peter By 1000 AD was the largest Christian Church by geographical area, stretching from Bagdad to Beijing Virtually destroyed by Tamerlane, only remnants in Iraq, Syria, and India survived Patriarch now resides in Chicago due to persecution Mar Dinkha IV

11. Coptic Orthodox Church of Alexandria Founded by St Mark Adherents comprise 10% of the population of Egypt Pope Tawadros II

12. Who are martyrs?

13. Who are martyrs? • Christians who are being persecuted for their faith • Christians who are in a position where they are at risk of persecution • Christians who are in a position where they can support the persecuted or give detailed report on their plight

14. The Central African Republic • Of a population of nearly 4.5 million, approximately 50% orthodox Christian, 25% syncretic Christian, 15% Muslim, 10% animist • Government overthrown on March 24, 2013 by Islamic Seleka rebels • Most observers agreed that anarchy had taken hold since then and that the chance of a genocide was very real by early 2014

15. FrAurelio Gazzera OCD : Missionary, Central African Republic • on July 25, 2013 wrote of more than 1000 people fleeing from atrocities committed by Seleka fighters in Bossa, Bodalo, Kemo, OuhamBac and Bowe villages, including the killing of a five month old child • said on August 15, 2013 in Bozoum that the Islamists are targeting Christians throughout the country and “the bloodiest treatment has often been reserved for Catholic catechists” • reported that on September 8, 2013 Seleka fighters have burned down 3,500 homes in Bohong, of them not one belonged to a Muslim

16. FrAurelio Gazzera OCD : Missionary, Central African Republic • entered a Seleka rebel military base on September 16, 2013 to plead for the release of prisoners and to protest assaults, tortures, and murders, threatened by rebel leaders with death at gunpoint, struck in the face • automobile shot at by a Seleka rebel on October 3, 2013 in Bangui, police witnessed the incident but did nothing, later the same day vehicles containing Seleka rebels attempted to cut off his automobile in an apparent abduction attempt

17. Who creates today’s martyrs?

18. Who creates today’s martyrs? • Secular Liberal Democracy • Communism and its mimics • Religions: Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, and Jews and other Christians

19. April 18, 2013 – Brussels, Belgium: Archbishop Andre-Joseph Leonard attacked by FEMEM Four half naked feminists pelt the Archbishop with holy water bottles of the type used at Lourdes

20. May 22, 2012 - Hong Kong, China: Cardinal Joseph Zen Ze-Kium SDB "Indeed, the persecution is becoming more real and concrete. On this point there is no improvement from the government. They are employing increasingly dangerous and skilled methods, because they no longer stop at just threatening people, instead they are now leading them into temptation. They do not want to make martyrs, they want to encourage renegades. For the Church this is so much worse. They have the means to test people, good, weak or timid, and reduce them to obedience. Their tools are money, but also prestige, honor or positions in society"

21. April 20, 2013: Dennis Balcombe arrested in Nanyang, Henan province in China • Attacked in his Hong Kong office in March or early April 2013 by four female members of the Eastern Lightning cult • Given anti-Eastern Lightning DVDs by the government • Arrested during his attendance at a Pentecostal house church meeting at a hotel in Nanyang – the house church did not register the meeting and the number of attendees exceeded the legal limit for an unregistered meeting • Police apologized when they saw the DVDs and admitted that they listened to his homilies on the internet

22. July 8, 2012: GyangDaylopDantong killed in Ryiom, Plateau state in Nigeria • Surgeon and Federal Senator • Had built a hospital and three churches with his personal funds • Killed while attending a funeral for 23 constituents killed by Muslim insurgents, the funeral came under attack by Muslim insurgents, killing dozens

23. September 22, 2013: All Saints Church, Peshawar, Pakistan

24. On Sunday September 22, 2013 between six hundred and eight hundred Anglican Christians attended Mass and a concurrent Sunday School at All Saints Church in Peshawar. Afterward the church opened a free food distribution for the parishioners in the adjoining courtyard. While the families were in the courtyard two suicide bombers entered the courtyard and church and detonated their vests. The final official toll was 127 dead and 170 injured; the unofficial death toll is over 200. Hospitals were slow to treat the wounded: on call staff was slow to come in, and up-front fees were demanded before treatment. Reportedly two persons were placed in caskets by hospital staff only to be discovered by their families to still be alive. Eighteen children and thirteen girls aged 13-17 are still missing after the church explosion

25. September 22, 2013: All Saints Church, Peshawar, Pakistan • Khalid - food server -killed • Naiher and Eshan, sister and brother, aged eight and eleven - both killed

26. September 22, 2013: All Saints Church, Peshawar, Pakistan • Robin Bhatti (with children) – wounded – died October 4, 2013 • KashmalaMunawar – first year high school student - wounded

27. Sunday October 20, 2013 One day in the Christian Church Beginning at the International Date Line and moving westward

28. Sunday October 20, 2013 Nepal: Phattepur • DebalalSardar - aged 36, husband and father of two, died in a knife attack by a man who had asked for healing prayers • Bishop Narayan Sharma - said that the murder of DebalalSardar was “was a purely anti-Christian act, since there was no personal enmity. The attacker told his wife that he was going to kill more Christians"

29. Sunday October 20, 2013 India: Belgaum, Karnataka state • Pastor K.J. Cherian - aged 60, attempted to rent a hall for a congregation of 200, made first payment and was told to use the hall even though the contract was not signed, first Sunday service was invaded by Hindu nationalists who demanded the service stop until he proved he had a legal right to use the hall and who refused to accept the payment receipt as proof

30. Sunday October 20, 2013 – Pakistan: PeshawarKashmalaMunawar Kashmala’s legs were badly injured in the September 22 bombing of All Saints Church. Doctors inserted steel rods into both legs. Her right leg became infected and on this day was amputated. Kashmala has been told that she needs to be treated in a Western hospital.

31. Sunday October 20, 2013 Iran: Rasht Four men, converts to Christianity, were sentenced to 80 lashes for drinking communion wine, and were allowed 10 days to appeal • BehzadTaalipasand • Mehdi Reza OmidiYouhan • Mehdi DadkhahDanial • Amir HatemiYouhanna

32. Sunday October 20, 2013 Somalia: Kharkinleydistrict, Mogadishu • Abdikhani Hassan - pharmacist, husband and father of six, shot dead after accused of 'spreading the wrong religion'

33. Sunday October 20, 2013 Kenya: Mombassa • Pastor Charles Matole- husband of Claris Matole, shot dead from behind while sitting with a Bible in his lap • Claris Matole- widow of Pastor Charles Matole, said her husband had received multiple death threats which police discounted Kenya: Kilifi • Pastor EbrahimKidata- aged mid-50s, found dead in brush, likely strangled

34. Sunday October 20, 2013 Egypt: Warraq, Giza, outside Cairo A wedding party waiting to enter the Church of the Virgin Mary was attacked by men with automatic weapons on a motorcycle, 5 were killed including a 17-year old Muslim young man and 17 wounded

35. Sunday October 20, 2013 Egypt: Warraq, Giza, outside Cairo Persons killed outside the Church of the Virgin Mary before the wedding: Samir FahmyAzer- aged 46, shot dead KamiliaHelmy- aged 62, shot dead Mary Ashraf Siha - aged 8, shot dead Mary Nabil FahmyAzer- aged 12, shot dead

36. Sunday October 20, 2013 Egypt: Warraq, Giza, outside Cairo Persons who were wounded in the attack on a wedding party at the Church of the Virgin Mary, taken to a hospital, and who disappeared either from the hospital or in transit to the hospital: • Mariam Kokab- aged 10, sister of Ireni Adel Kokab • Ireni Adel Kokab- aged 6, sister of Mariam Kokab

37. Sunday October 20, 2013 Egypt: Warraq, Giza, outside Cairo • Fr Sawiris Boshra - said after the Church of the Virgin Mary wedding attack: “Christianity is based on persecution. Christ said there would come a time when people will kill Christians and think they are doing God’s will. That is happening now.”

38. Sunday October 20, 2013 United Kingdom: Grangemouth, Scotland Rev AftabGohar- mother, two uncles, nephew, niece, and other relatives and friends killed in the September 22, 2013 bombing of All Saints Church in Peshawar, Pakistan, told his congregation that he forgave their murderers

39. Sunday October 20, 2013 United States – Ohio: North Hampton • Rev Norman Hayes – beaten in church by the boyfriend of a parishioner, nose broken, face bruised and lacerated, attacker is a self-described "militant atheist"

40. Why follow today’s martyrs?

41. Why follow today’s martyrs? Cardinal Angelo Bagnasco Said on January 28, 2013 in Rome "Experts speak a total of over one hundred thousand Christians of various denominations killed in 2012...Those who suffer and die for Christ, do so for us, and they are our brothers regardless of the distance that divides us...If our parishes can keep alive, even nourish, a systematic memory of our brothers and sisters who are persecuted in the world, then even the local faith would be re-vitalized“.

42. Why follow today’s martyrs? Hope Ehiawaguan - aged 16, on December 25, 2012 left flowers at the Abuja, Nigeria grave of her brother who was killed in a church attack on Christmas 2011, said "I feel safe. Not because of security here ... because we have a greater security in heaven"

43. Why follow today’s martyrs? Cardinal Kurt Koch - President of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, stated on September 12, 2011 in Munich, Germany: “While we as Christians and as churches, live on this earth in an as yet imperfect communion, the martyrs in their celestial glory find themselves in full and perfect communion.”

44. Why follow today’s martyrs? Julie Aftab Aged 26, accounting student in 2012, suffered an acid attack in Pakistan in 2002 by two men angered when she acknowledged she was a Christian Parents’ home was burned down after the attack Came to the U.S. for a total of 31 surgeries after most local hospitals refused to treat her because of her faith Now says [July 9, 2012 in Houston] that she wants to become a pastor and that "Those people, they think they did a bad thing to me, but they brought me closer to God"

45. Why follow today’s martyrs? Because they need our prayers… Because they pray for us…