“Their blood confesses Christ”: Pope Francis on the murder of Egyptian Christians by ISIS *UPDATED*

“They were killed simply for the fact that they were Christians. … The blood of our Christian brothers and sisters is a testimony which cries out to be heard.” Pope Francis responded today to the news that 21 Egyptian Christians have been beheaded by Islamic State militants. “Their blood confesses Christ,” the Holy Father said to a visiting delegation representing the Church of Scotland. “The martyrs belong to all Christians.”

On Sunday, ISIS released a graphic video showing the beheading of 21 Coptic Christians on a beach in Libya. The video, titled “A Message Signed with Blood to the Nation of the Cross,” features one of the jihadists speaking in English and addressing himself to “crusaders” while describing the terrorist group’s “chopping off the heads that have been carrying the cross.” Once the captives, dressed in orange jumpsuits, are beheaded, the jihadist states, “And we will conquer Rome, by Allah’s permission.”

The murdered Christians were Egyptians living in Libya who were abducted by ISIS in December and January.

In retaliation for the beheadings, Egypt carried out airstrikes today on several ISIS military targets. According to one report from Libyan military personnel, at least 50 people were killed by the bombings.

The White House released a statement condemning the beheadings, although it did not mention that the victims were Christians. “We offer our condolences to the families of the victims and our support to the Egyptian government and people as they grieve for their fellow citizens,” the White House’s statement said. “ISIL’s barbarity knows no bounds. It is unconstrained by faith, sect, or ethnicity. This wanton killing of innocents is just the most recent of the many vicious acts perpetrated by ISIL-affiliated terrorists against the people of the region, including the murders of dozens of Egyptian soldiers in the Sinai, which only further galvanizes the international community to unite against ISIL.”

Below are Pope Francis’ remarks on the murders, delivered at the end of his address to leaders of the Church of Scotland:

I would now like to turn to my native tongue to express feelings of profound sorrow. Today I read about the execution of those twenty-one or twenty-two Coptic Christians. Their only words were: “Jesus, help me!” They were killed simply for the fact that they were Christians. You, my brother, in your words referred to what is happening in the land of Jesus. The blood of our Christian brothers and sisters is a testimony which cries out to be heard. It makes no difference whether they be Catholics, Orthodox, Copts or Protestants. They are Christians! Their blood is one and the same. Their blood confesses Christ. As we recall these brothers and sisters who died only because they confessed Christ, I ask that we encourage each another to go forward with this ecumenism which is giving us strength, the ecumenism of blood. The martyrs belong to all Christians.

Updated 2/17: On Tuesday, during daily Mass at the Santa Marta Chapel, Pope Francis asked the congregation to join him in prayer "our brother Copts, whose throats were slit for the sole reason of being Christian, that the Lord welcome them as martyrs, for their families, for my brother Tawadros [the Coptic Orthodox Patriarch of Alexandria], who is suffering greatly."

The following paragraph is excerpted from the CENTENNIAL Thanksgiving Sermon, DELIVERED BY REV. B. W. ARNETT, B. D., AT ST. PAUL A. M. E. CHURCH, URBANA, OHIO 1876 - available in the "Library of Congress - Historical Collections" - "African-American Pamphlets from the Daniel A. P. Murray Collection," 1820-1920; American Memory, Washington, DC.

This historical treasure is one which should be prominent in our national discussions, especially now, when our philosophical foundations are being challenged, and when the views of a learned man like Dr. Arnett might shed light on centuries-old ideas about America's history. His theme: Righteousness Exalteth a Nation, but Sin is a Reproach to any People."

"Withdraw from Christendom the Bible, the Church with its sacraments and ministry, and Christian morality and hopes, and aspirations for time and eternity; repeal all the laws that are founded in the Christian Scriptures; remove the Christian humanities in the form of hospitals and asylums, and reformatories and institutions of mercy utterly unknown to unchristian countries; destroy the literature, the culture, the institutions of learning, the art, the refinement, the place of woman in her home and in society, which owe their origin and power to Christianity; blot out all faith in Divine Providence, love, and righteousness; turn back every believer in Christ to his former state; remove all thought or hope of the forgiveness of sins by a just but gracious God; erase the name of Christ from every register it sanctifies—in a word annihilate all the legitimate and logical effects of Christianity in Christendom—just accomplish in fact what multitudes of gifted and learned minds are wishing and trying to accomplish by their science, philosophy, and criticism, and what multitudes of the common people desire and seek, and not only would all progress toward and unto perfection cease, but not one of the shining lights of infidelity would shine much longer. Yes, the bitterest enemies of this holy and blessed religion, owe their ability to be enemies to its sacred revelations - to the inspiration and sublimity of that faith which reflects its glories on their hostile natures. They live in the strength of that which they would destroy. They are raised to their seats of opportunity and power by the grace of Him they would crucify afresh; and is it to be thought that they are stronger than that which gives them strength? Can it be supposed that a religion which civilizes and subdues, and elevates and blesses will succumb to the enmities it may arouse and quicken in its onward march? Are we to tremble for the ark of God when God is its upholder, and protector, and preserver?” - Dr. Benjaming W. Arnett, St. Paul A.M.E. Church, Urbana, Ohio, Centennial Thanksgiving Sermon, November 1876

Dr. Arnett, an A.M.E. Minister and Ohio State Legislator, was invited to publish this remarkable sermon commemorating the Centennial of the Declaration of Independence by the following method:

To:

Rev. B. W. ARNETT, B. D.

Dear Pastor:

Will you please prepare your “Centennial Thanksgiving Sermon” for publication: together with whatever matter pertaining to the colored people of this city, you deem worth preserving.

We make this request of you, believing that the publication of such matter, will be of benefit to the present and succeeding generations.

Yours Respectfully,

J GAITER
J. DEMPCY
C. L, GANT
Trustees W. A. STILGASS, W. O. BOWLES

Urbana, O.

December 7th, 1876

J GAITER, J. DEMPCY, C. L, GANT

Trustees W. A. STILGASS, W. O. BOWLES

Yours is at hand, requesting me to prepare my "Centennial Thanksgiving Sermon" for publication. If you think that my words will be of any advantage to you, and those whom you have the honor of representing, I am willing to leave it to your judgement and will prepare my feeble effort for the press: hoping that, if there is nothing new in it, at least I may awaken some one to follow "the Moccasin tracks of Righteousness, and the Foot Prints of sin on the sands of time," and be better prepared for the duties they owe to themselves, their families, their country, and their God.

I am, yours,

BENJAMIN W. ARNETT

____________________

At another point in his long "Thanksgiving Sermon," Dr. Arnett made the following assertion about America and "wherein lies its greatness":

"Let us see what it is that makes us so great; wherein lies our strength. What has made us one of the greatest powers of the earth, politically and intellectually? Have we come to the conclusion that it is Righteousness that exalteth a nation? We have met to-day at the request of the President of the United States, Ulysses S. Grant, and also the Governor of our beloved State, Rutherford B. Hayes. For what? Why call us from our homes? Why come to the house of God? Why not go to the hall of mirth and to the places of amusement to-day? No that is not what they want us to do. We are commanded to go to our 'several places of worship, and there offer up thanks to Kind Providence which has brought our nation through the scenes of another year, and blessed the land with peace, plenty and prosperity.' Then as Americans we have reason to rejoice and congratulate ourselves on the greatness of our beloved country; at this the close of the first hundred years of experimental government of the people, by the people, and for the people. To be a citizen of this vast country is something, and to share in its privileges and duties is more than something." - Dr. Benjaming W. Arnett, St. Paul A.M.E. Church, Urbana, Ohio, Centennial Thanksgiving Sermon, November 1876

Is it the case that the entity who was elected POTUS cannot bring itself to refer to these victims as Christians, nor those slaughtered in the Paris deli as Jews, BUT he is all out there condemning the killing of three Muslims in NC? Do I have my facts straight?

Rush Limbaugh tackled this on his program today. In case you missed it:

And I think this is also an additional reason why this administration will not call terrorism terrorism. And it's not just that Obama has vanquished it, it's not just that Obama said with bin Laden's death we got rid of Al-Qaeda. He did say that, and so Obama has to stick with the idea that Al-Qaeda's been vanquished. They can't have come back to life; he took care of 'em. Okay, that's an explanation for it, too.
But Obama also said that he had these people on the run, that terrorism's on the run, and this really isn't terrorism. It's just random this, and random that, it's like street crime. So Obama's invested in calling this thing other than what it is. But in addition to all these reasons, what is another? It always comes down, whether you accept this or not, particularly in a period of time where Obama's not seeking election again, it still comes down to his base, the lunatic base, the people in this country that vote Democrat who've been driven insane with rage and hatred by all the lies they were told during the Iraq war.
snip
So now we got Obama can't call it terrorism because the people of this country are told there wasn't any and Obama defeated it. And there is no ISIS, ISIL. It's not serious 'cause there wasn't any of this stuff. They would have to acknowledge that they lied, not Bush, if Obama and his gang were to man up and deal with this head on. In order to do that, they would have to acknowledge that they were lying all these years about what was going on in the Middle East.

I would encourage you to read the entire commentary, here

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