Vatican City – Christians are being driven out of eastern Libya by Muslim fundamentalists, the Catholic Church’s main clergyman in the country told the Vatican missionary news agency Fides.
The situation was “critical” and the “atmosphere very tense” in the Cyrenaica region, the Apostolic Vicar of Tripoli Giovanni Innocenzo Martinelli said in the interview on Thursday.
He said two religious communities are leaving “after being pressured by fundamentalists”, adding that the Apostolic Vicar of Benghazi was cautioned to take shelter ahead of a large-scale demonstration on 20 February.
“In past days, the Congregation of the Holy Family of Spoleto who had been there for nearly 100 years were forced to abandon Derna,” east of the main eastern city of Benghazi, he said.
“In Barce [located between Benghazi and Derna] the Franciscan Sisters of the Child Jesus will leave their home in coming days.”
On Friday, Martinelli told Vatican Radio that for some time now fundamentalism has governed decisions in Libya.
Christians have voiced fear of a rise in sectarian sentiment in the overwhelmingly Muslim nation following the 2011 revolt that toppled dictator Muammar Gaddafi and in which hard-line Islamists played a major part.
Before the uprising, 3% of Libya’s population of around 6.3 million were Christian.
Now only a couple thousand of them remain, with the majority of them expatriates.
In December, two Egyptians died in a blast at a Christian Coptic church in the Libyan town of Dafniya, and two others were wounded.
#1 by Blake on February 2, 2013 - 5:20 pm
Playing into the hasbara propaganda hands whilst they ignore 90% of Palestinian Christians are awaiting their right of return.
#2 by Ingrid B on February 2, 2013 - 5:56 pm
Iraq, Egypt, Libya.. where to now?
#3 by Robert Pickle on February 3, 2013 - 5:46 am
Ingrid, The plan is to destroy Amalaek. Amalek are any opposed to Sanhedrin or Talmudic Judaism or their god wannabe Tetragrammaton.
http://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/961561/jewish/Positive-Commandment-187.htm
The Nations they seek for their “Olam Haba” world to come is Syria, Jor-DAN, Lebanon, Iraq, Palestine, Part of Turkey, Saudi, and Egypt to the Nile……Eretz Israel………..to stir up and take north Africa, secures their hegemony and economic might.
http://www.google.com/search?q=euphrates+to+nile&hl=en&tbo=u&tbm=isch&source=univ&sa=X&ei=-fgNUZWKCKaP2gXprYDADQ&ved=0CDcQsAQ&biw=1366&bih=599
#4 by annebeck58 on February 3, 2013 - 8:31 am
Seems to me, between Al-CIA~duh, along with their cousin, MOSSAD, is more responsible for anyone leaving Libya and the unrest in Libya (and everywhere else) than are any fundamentalists.
We awaken to a new and upside-down day, each morning.
What will they do next?
#5 by Robert Pickle on February 4, 2013 - 8:36 am
Upon seizing the reins of government, the new Noachide leaders will move quickly to implement a full agenda of reform. … Full support will be given to Israeli forces to reinvade PLO-controlled areas, with military assistance offered where necessary. Jewish courts … will be granted full legal sovereignty over Jewish citizens within each country, who will no longer be subject to the authority of gentile courts.
The pre-existing Noachide judges and courts will replace the existing court system of each country, and the legal code will be drastically rewritten to conform to halacha…. …. And law and order will be fully restored through the establishment of internal security measures, again in accordance with Torah law. — Committee for Israeli Victory