Mexican Pastor Shot and Killed After Sunday Church Service

Organized crime primarily targets priests and pastors, while indigenous power holders pressure Christians through fines, denying basic community service and imprisonment. 

By Samuel Smith
Christian Post Reporter

A pastor in southwest Mexico was shot and killed after a church service on Sunday amid ongoing targeting of faith leaders by criminal gangs.

According to international watchdog group Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Pastor Alfrery Líctor Cruz Canseco was sitting in his car outside Fraternidad Cristiana church in the town of Tlalixtac de Cabrera in Oaxaca state when he was shot at point-blank range. 

Cruz Canseco died while he was being transported to a local hospital. 

“We extend our deepest condolences to the family and congregation of Pastor Cruz Canseco,” CSW Chief Executive Merwyn Thomas said in a statement. 

A translated statement posted on the Fraternidad Christiana Facebook page reads: “We regret the departure of Alfrery Lictor Cruz Canseco, friend and brother in Christ very loved by our congregation.”

Although the motive remains uncertain, CSW, which advocates for Christians in over 20 countries worldwide, notes that the killing comes on the heels of a recent series of attacks that have targeted religious leaders in the region.

Among the recent attacks against faith leaders was the kidnapping of Pastor Aarón Méndez Ruiz, who ran a shelter for Cuban immigrants in Nuevo Laredo and was abducted on August 3rd. 

“We also remain concerned for the well-being of Pastor Méndez Ruiz and urge the Mexican government to spare no effort in ensuring his safe return, investigating all of these crimes and prosecuting those responsible,” Thomas stated. 

CSW warns that the expansion of criminal groups in Mexico as well as a “climate of impunity” when it comes to crimes they commit has led to an increase in violence against Protestant and Catholic leaders because they are viewed as a threat to criminal groups. 

According to CSW, 10 religious leaders were killed in Mexico in 2018. 

As questions have been raised as to why church leaders in a predominantly-Catholic country are increasingly being abducted, harmed or killed, USA Today reported last April that at least 23 religious leaders had been killed in Mexico since 2012.

Earlier this week, the Catholic Multimedia Center reported that at least 26 Catholic priests have been killed since 2012. 

“We urge the international community to engage with the Mexican government on these matters and to recognize the role that many religious leaders play, not only as leaders of their churches, but also as voices for peace, justice and integrity, and as human rights defenders,” Thomas concluded in his statement.

Mexico ranks as the 39th-worst country in the world when it comes to Christian persecution as organized crime in the country continues to go unconfronted, according to Open Doors USA’s 2019 World Watch List.

Christian Post article continues here

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Students in Louisiana Public Schools to be Greeted With 'In God We Trust' Signs

"...it’s really important that we ensure that young people understand the patriotic history of our country and how it was founded and its purpose."

By Aris Folley
The Hill

Blogger's Note: There are many stories of religious persecution throughout the US and the world posted on Persecution Unveiled.  I'm happy to share the following 'good news' from Louisiana.

Public school students in Louisiana will be welcomed with "In God We Trust" signs when they head back to school this month. 

The move is the result of a law signed by Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) last year that requires the instruction and display of the motto "In God We Trust" in all public schools in the state starting this school year. 

“Not later than the 2019-2020 school year, the program of instruction on patriotic customs required by this Section shall include instruction on the national motto, ‘In God We Trust,’ and each public school governing authority shall display the national motto in each building it uses and in each school under its jurisdiction,” the law, also known as Senate Bill 224, states.

“The nature of the display shall be determined by each governing authority with a minimum requirement of a paper sign,” the legislation also reads.

The move comes as some state legislatures across the South — including Florida, Arkansas and South Carolina — have discussed similar measures that would require public schools to display the motto.

Just recently, a new law in South Carolina went in effect requiring public schools to place "In God We Trust" signs on display. 

State Sen. Regina Ashford Barrow (D), the lawmaker behind the bill to have the national motto displayed in Louisiana schools, called the measure “important” in helping students understand the country’s “patriotic history” in remarks discussing the law last year.

“This is our national motto. It’s also on our currency,” she said at the time. “So I think it’s really important that we ensure that young people understand the patriotic history of our country and how it was founded and its purpose.”

Click here for The Hill article 

"We Hope and Pray ... the World the World Will Not Abandon Us Now"

"...Now is the time for Christian, Western countries, and for Christian churches and Believers worldwide, to protect our Christian people in NE Syria from falling victim to brutal war, dictatorship, fascism, and radicalism," the Syriac Military Council (MFS)

By Emily Jones

CBN News

US officials from the Department of Defense are going to Ankara, Turkey on Monday to dissuade  President Recep Tayyip Erdogan from invading Northeast Syria where many ethnic minorities live, including thousands of Christians.

The Washington Post reported Sunday that Turkey has amassed tens of thousands of troops on the Syrian border and Erdogan is planning on launching a full-scale military operation against US-backed Kurdish fighters East of the Euphrates. 

"We entered Afrin, Jarabulus, and Al-Bab  [in northern Syria], and now we're going to enter east of the Euphrates," Erdogan told an inauguration ceremony in Bursa. "We shared this  [information]  with the U.S. and Russia," he added.

Last month, Turkey threatened to take military action against US-backed forces if it did not reach a deal with the US over a 20-mile security zone inside Syria's northeastern border with Turkey. Erdogan wants to clear the zone of the US-backed Kurdish YPG militia. The Kurdish militia was the United States' main ally in the fight against ISIS, but Erdogan views the group as a terror organization.

"If the safe zone is not created, the threat emanating from this area continues and terrorists are not cleared, then we would start the operation," Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu said in an interview with Turkey's TGRT television last month.

A US official told Reuters that "bilateral discussions" with Turkey are underway "on the possibility of a safe zone with US and Turkish forces that addresses Turkey's legitimate security concerns in northern Syria."

However, Erdogan does not want the proposed security zone to be patrolled by both US and Turkish forces. He insists Turkey have full control of the zone.

For many Christians and ethnic minorities, this would mean disaster.

"Most of our Christian people live in this area and if any military operation happened in this area, it will be a real fear on our people," Abdelahad Gawriye of the Syriac Union Party told CBN News.

More than 100,000 Syriac Christians, one of the world's oldest Christian communities, live there and they fear Erdogan will finish the genocide that ISIS started.

Last year, Erdogan's army worked with Jihadist mercenaries to overrun the Syrian city of Afrin.

The forces displaced hundreds of thousands while searching for Christians and burning churches.   

Last month, Syriac Christians called on the US to save them.

"We hope and pray that as we have defended the world against ISIS, the world will not abandon us now. Now is the time for Christian, Western countries, and for Christian churches and believers worldwide, to protect our Christian people in NE Syria from falling victim to brutal war, dictatorship, fascism, and radicalism," the  Syriac Military Council (MFS) said in a statement.

Last month, the US rebuked its NATO ally and said its actions are of "grave concern".

Click here to view CBN news report.

Persecution Unveiled has been called to prick the consciences of our nation and all free people to pray for, speak up and act on behalf of those who are persecuted for their faith. Follow us on Pinterest.

Pro-Life Leader Handcuffed While Protesting Dem Debate, Considers Lawsuit

YouTube screenshot of police handcuffing pro-life activist Mark Harrington.

By Tyler O'Neill
PJ Media

On Tuesday and Wednesday, the pro-life group Created Equal protested the pro-abortion candidates at the second round of Democratic debates. Detroit Police prevented them from getting anywhere near the debates, however. At one point, police handcuffed Created Equal President Mark Harrington, threatening to arrest him for trespassing. Harrington claimed the group was treated more harshly than other protesters, was denied a space despite getting there first, and received unlawful threats. Harrington said he is considering legal action.

"By threat of arrest police compelled us to be penned up in nowhere land while more liberal protesters were permitted to express themselves undeterred," Harrington said. 

"False accusations of trespass, disorderly conduct, and violating a legal order, among other equally spurious allegations, were used to bully us into submission. We are now evaluating our legal options in response to this blatant infringement of our First Amendment rights."

Created Equal highlighted four specific statements from police: "Let it be unconstitutional, then." "I can't have a Boston bomber!" "You're going to jail!" and "This is not Burger King" (apparently a reference to the slogan "have it your way").

Over the course of both nights, protesters including Harrington attempted to stand as close to the debate arena as possible, but police directed them to go blocks away, where some other protesters stood essentially without an audience. The pro-lifers contested this, claiming that it violated their First Amendment rights to free speech and free assembly.

"What we encountered from Detroit police was nothing short of police state tactics used to censor our pro-life views. In the name of 'safety,' our rights were routinely violated several times by law enforcement eventually culminating in the handcuffing of Created Equal President Mark Harrington," the organization said in a statement. 

"On at least four different occasions in the span of a few hours, our pro-life views were forcefully suppressed by Detroit police while other more politically correct speech was protected."

At one point, an officer said his order to restrict the pro-lifers "came from on high," perhaps suggesting that the authorities ordered police to single them out for adverse treatment.

"Created Equal supports law enforcement. We also understand that the government can place reasonable time, place, and manner restrictions on speech. However, those restrictions must be tailored in a way to be minimally restrictive to free expression. Resigning pro-life activists to an obscure and non-visible location is not reasonable or minimally restrictive," the organization said.

PJ Media article continues here to view YouTube here

Nigerian Priest Killed by Suspected Fulani Gunmen; Clergy March to Protest Killings

"How many more people do they have to slaughter and abduct before your eyes open?"  

The Rev. Paul Offu of St. James Greater Parish in
Ugbawka, Nigeria. | Facebook/Dioceses of Enugu

By Samuel Smith    
Christian Post Reporter

A priest in Southern Nigeria was killed Thursday by suspected Fulani radicals while five pastors from a Pentecostal denomination were abducted in a separate incident just outside of Lagos. 

The Catholic Diocese of Enugu announced the killing of Father Paul Offu by unidentified gunmen on Thursday evening.

According to the diocese, Offu was the parish priest at St. James Greater Parish in Ugbawka. He's originally is from Okpatu in the Udi local government area. 

In a Facebook statement, the diocese declared: "tragedy strikes again in the Enugu Diocese."

"With a deep sense of sorrow, the Catholic Diocese of Enugu announces the tragic death of REV FR PAUL OFFU who was shot dead [Aug. 1] by some hoodlums suspected to be the notorious and murderous Fulani herdsmen, along Ihe-Agbudu Road in Awgu [local government area]," the statement reads. "May perpetual light shine upon his gentle and illustrious soul."

The diocese's communications director, Benjamin Achi, told the Nigerian media outlet The Punch that the priest was killed by Fulani radicals. 

"Fr. Offu was stopped by the murderous herdsmen while returning to his parish after a visit to priest friend along Ihe-Agbudu road in Awgu LGA." Achi told The Punch. "They dragged him to the bush but one of the assailants said kill him, that the church would not do anything if they kidnapped him.”

Across the nation, predominantly Christian farming communities are being attacked with increasing frequency by Fulani radicals. 

While the Nigerian government claims the violence is just "farmer-herder clashes," advocates warn that thousands in these farming communities have been killed or have been forced to flee in the last several years because of Fulani attacks.

The priest's murder comes about five months after the body of priest Clement Ugwu from St. Mark Catholic Church in the Ezeagu local government area was found after a one-week search. 

“All is not well in Enugu State," Bishop Callistus Onaga said at the time, according to an earlier article from The Punch. "We should not continue to pretend about it while our people are killed every day. Enugu State is not secure again. Criminals have shifted to Enugu State from Anambra." 

Achi told The Punch on Friday that the Rev. Paulinus Ikechukwu Ilo is still in the hospital after being shot by suspected Fulani radicals on July 18. On Friday, dozens of priests in the Enugu Diocese protested the killing of their brother in the streets of Lagos in a procession that took them to outside of the Enugu State Government House. 

Click here to continue reading article

Christians Demand UK Leaders Protect Street Preachers' Rights

“….despite laws that theoretically support the freedom to preach in public, in practice, police officers are quick to silence preachers at the first suggestion that a member of the public is offended.”

A union flag is seen near the Houses of Parliament in London 

 April 18, 2017 /Reuters: Stefan Wermuth. 

The following news article reports on the arrest of a street preacher in London after a citizen complaint. The backlash against his arrest is recounted in this article.  It was published in the Christian Post and authored by Michael Gryboski.  

More than 45,000 people have signed a petition demanding that the Home Office protect the rights of street preachers following the wrongful arrest of a Nigerian-born preacher.

Christian Concern, a United Kingdom-based religious organization, delivered over 38,000 signed copies of the petition to the Home Office in London on Tuesday. Since then, the number of signatories has passed the 45,000 mark.

“Christian street preachers should be free to share the Gospel, even where it means challenging the beliefs of others,” read the petition in part.

“The law rightly protects freedom of speech, even if it offends, shocks or disturbs others. But too often, police officers have shown themselves either to be ignorant of this freedom, or unwilling to uphold it. This leads to a chilling effect, where people are increasingly unwilling to say what they believe, for fear of arrest.”

The petition also called on the new Home Secretary Priti Patel to investigate the training for police officers when it comes to street preachers.

The petition came in response to a February incident in which 64-year-old Oluwole Ilesanmi was arrested while preaching in London after someone called the police accusing him of hate speech against Islam, which can be criminally prosecuted in England.

In late July, Ilesanmi was awarded the equivalent of about $3,000 from the Metropolitan Police, as well as an apology, over being wrongfully arrested the harsh treatment he endured.

Andrea Williams of the Christian Legal Centre, which represented Ilesanmi, said in a recent statement that the law should do a better job of respecting the rights of street preachers.

“… despite laws that theoretically support the freedom to preach in public, in practice, police officers are quick to silence preachers at the first suggestion that a member of the public is offended,” Williams said, as reported by Christian Concern.

“Freedom of speech means that each one of us needs to be able to critique all religions and ideas without immediately being labelled and silenced as offensive. Critiquing ideas is often motivated by love for others and not hate. The result of this also chills free speech through self-censorship.”

Christian Post article continues here

Persecution Unveiled has been called to prick the consciences of our nation and all free people to pray for, speak up and act on behalf of those who are persecuted for their faith. Follow us on Pinterest.

Christianity in Iraq is 'Close to Extinction,' Those Left 'Face Martyrdom,' Faith Leader Warns

"Our tormentors confiscated our present," he said, "while seeking to wipe out our history and destroy our future." Most Rev. Bashar Warda 

Church destroyed by ISIS, Baghdida, Iraq.
| (Photo: Bill Devlin)

By Leah MarieAnn Klett
Christian Post Reporter

Christianity in Iraq is “close to extinction” and those who remain may “face martyrdom,” yet some Christian leaders in Britain refuse to condemn the atrocities perpetrated by Muslim extremists for fear of being accused of Islamophobia, the Archbishop of Irbil has said.

During an address delivered in London, the Most Rev. Bashar Warda said Iraq's Christian population is down to just 250,000 — an 83% decrease in population since the United States’ invasion of Iraq, according to the BBC.

“Christianity in Iraq," he said, “one of the oldest churches, if not the oldest church in the world, is perilously close to extinction. Those of us who remain must be ready to face martyrdom."

While the Islamic State terrorist group was driven from its last stronghold in Iraq earlier this year, religious structures and homes belonging to Christian families have been destroyed and thousands of families have not returned, he stressed.

"Our tormentors confiscated our present," he said, "while seeking to wipe out our history and destroy our future. In Iraq there is no redress for those who have lost properties, homes and businesses. Tens of thousands of Christians have nothing to show for their life's work, for generations of work, in places where their families have lived, maybe, for thousands of years."

The archbishop, who has been outspoken about the plight of Christians in his country, also said Britain's Christian leaders are so concerned with "political correctness" they refuse to speak out against the atrocities committed against Christians in Iraq at the hands of Muslim extremists.

"Will you continue to condone this never-ending, organized persecution against us?" he asked. "When the next wave of violence begins to hit us, will anyone on your campuses hold demonstrations and carry signs that say 'We are all Christians'?"

Warning Christians are “facing our end in the land of our ancestors,” Warda said, “the entire world faces a moment of truth.”

"Will a peaceful and innocent people be allowed to be persecuted and eliminated because of their faith? And, for the sake of not wanting to speak the truth to the persecutors, will the world be complicit in our elimination?

The BBC notes that the outlook for Christians “remains bleak” in Iraq, as tensions between Sunni and Shia Muslims persist and there are still IS fighters hiding out in parts of the country.

Iraq is ranked No.13 on persecution watchdog group Open Doors USA’s 2019 World Watch List of the top 50 countries in the world where Christians face the most extreme persecution for their faith.

In October, the U.S. Agency International Development announced it would partner with the nation's leading Catholic fraternal organization, Knights of Columbus, to help bolster the rebuilding of beleaguered communities in Iraq.

Click here to continue reading this Christian Post report

Persecution Unveiled has been called to prick the consciences of our nation and all free people to pray for, speak up and act on behalf of those who are persecuted for their faith. Follow us on Pinterest.