My dear brothers and sisters in Christ:

Four years ago at my first Midnight Mass at the Cathedral in Springfield I spoke in my homily of the plight of Christians who are being persecuted and killed in the Middle East, saying that "we should count our blessings that we enjoy the freedom to [celebrate Christmas] in relative safety. But we should not forget our Christian brothers and sisters in other parts of the world that are not so fortunate and for whom Christmas is not so joyful." Then and on some subsequent occasions that I have spoken or written about the persecution of Christians by radical Islamist extremists, my remarks have been criticized as being anti-Muslim. So let's take a look at what others have been saying about this.

Let's start with Pope Francis. What has he had to say about the plight of Christians in the Middle East. The answer is: plenty! During his trip to Turkey this past November, Pope Francis made frequent mention of the plight of Christians and other minorities in areas of Syria and Iraq who have been the focus of persecution by the Islamic State. In his press conference following his visit to Turkey, Pope Francis said, "It's true that there has been a reaction to these acts of terrorism, not just in this region but in Africa as well: 'If this is Islam it makes me angry!' So many Muslims feel offended, they say: 'But that is not what we are. The Quran is a prophetic book of peace. This is not Islam.' I can understand this. And I sincerely believe that we cannot say all Muslims are terrorists, just as we cannot say that all Christians are fundamentalists. ... There needs to be international condemnation from Muslims across the world. It must be said, 'no, this is not what the Quran is about!' This is the first thing." The pope then added, "We Christians are being chased out of the Middle East. … This is happening in several countries. It's as if they wished that there were no more Christians, that nothing remain of Christianity."

In his most recent remarks on this issue, given just a couple of weeks ago on Christmas Day, Pope Francis said, "Today I ask him, the Savior of the world, to look upon our brothers and sisters in Iraq and Syria, who for too long now have suffered the effects of ongoing conflict, and who, together with those belonging to other ethnic and religious groups, are suffering a brutal persecution. … May the Lord open hearts to trust, and may he bestow his peace upon the whole Middle East, beginning with the land blessed by his birth, thereby sustaining the efforts of those committed effectively to dialogue between Israelis and Palestinians."

Along these lines, an organization called Aid to the Church in Need, an international Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy See, last year published a report on Christians oppressed for their faith called Persecuted and Forgotten. The report describes a stark reality: "For the Church, the Arab Spring has turned into a Christian Winter. There are now grave questions about the long-term survival of Christianity in the Middle East, the religion's ancient heartland. … 2011-13 saw a devastating rise in the potency of fundamentalist Islamist groups. They represent probably the greatest threat to religious freedom worldwide. Radical Islamist groups' objectives include the eradication — or at least the subordination — of Christianity."

The United States Commission on International Religious Freedom recently said that Christians might disappear altogether from the Middle East within the next several decades. The numbers support this concern. According to the Economist magazine, Christians were 10 percent of the population when the 20th century began. Today they are only 4 percent.

The persecution of Christians is not limited to the Middle East. In the western African nation of Mali, for example, 200,000 Christians fled after an Islamist coup in 2012. Nor is the persecution of Christians limited to Muslim nations. Christians are persecuted in North Korea, China, India, Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Burma.

In October 2010, a report issued by the Commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community concluded that at least 75 percent of all religious persecution was directed against Christians.

In November 2012, German Chancellor Angela Merkel declared before a synod of Germany's Lutheran Church that "Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world."

Awareness of this problem is important, but it is just a start. More must be done to protect religious freedom throughout the world and the United States must take the lead in doing so.

May God give us this grace. Amen.