CWN - A Syrian Catholic prelate has applauded Pope Francis for insisting that the suffering of Christians in the Middle East should be described as martyrdom rather than genocide.
By refraining from the use of the word "genocide," Said Archbishop Jacques Behnan Hindo of Hissake Nisibis, the Pope "brings us back to reality and helps us not to take our eyes off the experience of martyrdom, whcih accompanies the entire journey of the Church in this world."
Archbishop Hindo added that the term "genocide," when applied to Christians in the Middle East, is also misleading, since Islamic jihadists kill many more Muslims than Christians.
The archbishop said that the term "genocide" has been invoked by some people to justify arming Christian militia groups that describe themselves as Christian. "Thus even Christianity is reduced to ideology of war used by tribal groups," he lamented.
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