The Church is Under Siege in Egypt

The untold story of the chaos in Egypt:

Fr. Rafiq Greiche, spokesman for Egypt's Catholic bishops, told Vatican Radio today that "40 churches - 10 Catholic and 30 Orthodox, Protestant and Greek-Orthodox - have been looted or burned, if not totally destroyed."

Asia News reports that in addition to churches, the "fundamentalists attacked monasteries, schools and many shops and houses inhabited by Christians. Several homes and shops were marked with a cross, and with violent slogans, as if to indicate them as a target for future attacks."

The attackers turned on Coptic Christians after its leadership supported the unseating of President Mohamed Morsi, the country’s first Islamist president. Morsi's enforced departure followed mass protests calling for his resignation at the end of June, brought upon by severe fuel shortages and electricity outages. He was formally ousted by the military on 3 July, together with a council that included the Grand Imam of Al Azhar, Ahmed el-Tayeb, and Pope Tawadros II, head of the Coptic Orthodox Church. 

This week's violence was sparked by an army crackdown against Egyptians protesting the ouster of Morsi. As well as churches, mosques have also been attacked. The death toll from the violence is currently reported to be over 600. 

Yesterday, Pope Francis called on the faithful to "pray together for peace, dialog and reconciliation in that dear nation and throughout the world," and assured all "the victims and their families, the injured and all those who are suffering" of his prayers.

There's video of one particular attack on the St. George's Coptic Church (pictured above), from differing camera angles, at the link.

A list of churchs and other Christian insitutions that have been burned, looted or destroyed can be found here.

I believe the world to be teetering.

And most of us are oblivious or worse, apathetic.

God have mercy.