00:01My heart goes out to all who this day, whatever their beliefs, are being persecuted on religious
00:09grounds. And at this time of Easter, when our minds are recalled to the suffering of
00:16our Lord 2,000 years ago, we think especially of those Christians who are suffering for
00:24their faith in many places around the world. I want to assure them that they are not forgotten
00:31and that they are in our prayers. Over the years, I have met many who have had to flee
00:39for their faith and for their life, or have somehow endured the terrifying consequences
00:45of remaining in their country. And I have been so deeply moved and humbled by their truly
00:53remarkable courage and by their selfless capacity for forgiveness, despite all that they have
01:02suffered. I have also heard that in the darkness, there are small shafts of light, signs of resurrection
01:12and of hope, that slowly but surely, Christians who have had to flee from their homelands are
01:20beginning to return and to rebuild their shattered homes. Biblical lands such as Syria and modern
01:30Iraq were not always places of strife between people of different faiths. For centuries, in many
01:39countries, the three great Abrahamic faiths have lived side by side as neighbours and as friends.
01:45For example, I have heard how in Lebanon, Muslims join with Christians at the shrine of Our Lady of
01:55Lebanon to honour her together. I know too of senior maftis who believe in the essential importance of the
02:04Christian faith to maintaining the balance of the Middle East. At Easter, as we recall the suffering of
02:14our Lord, we also remember Mary his mother and the torment of grief she endured. Mary occupies a
02:23unique and elevated position in both Christianity and Islam. She is the mother of our Lord and exalted in the
02:33Quran.
02:35All three Abrahamic faiths have known and continue to know the bitterness of
02:43persecution when religion has fallen into the barbaric grip of those who distort and misrepresent faith.
02:54So this Easter I want to salute the fortitude of all those who, whatever their faith,
03:03are persecuted for remaining faithful to the true essence of their beliefs.
03:10I admire and greatly respect all those of you who find it in your hearts to pray for those who
03:19persecute
03:20you and, following the example of Christ, seek forgiveness for your enemies.
03:28Jesus summarises the Ten Commandments into two requirements, that we should love God and
03:36love our neighbour as ourselves. It is therefore my special prayer this Eastertide that they will be
03:45your guide and your inspiration.
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