Archbishop of Canterbury Says Christian Persecution in Iraq is 'Off the Scale'

Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said Monday that the slaughter of Christians and Yazidis by IS (Islamic State or ISIS) terrorists in Iraq is "off the scale of human horror."
 
Of the IS members, the Archbishop said that they are "particularly savage...In a globalized world where even distant nations are our 'neighbor', we cannot allow these atrocities to be unleashed with impunity...The international community must document the human rights abuses in northern Iraq so that the perpetrators can later be prosecuted".
 
The number of refugees and internally displaced people (IDP) continues to grow, as IS enforces sharia rule in their occupied territory, threatening to kill Christians and other religious minorities if they do not convert to Islam.
 
At times refugees are fleeing to one village, but have to flee again as IS advances and gains more territory. Meanwhile the cities in the so called 'safe zones' in the Kurdish controlled area of Iraq are overflowing.
 
Pope Francis hinted at the possibility of him visiting Iraq himself, but was advised not to do so at this point. To Zenith News, a Catholic news agency Francis said:
 
"I am willing (to go there). I said if it were necessary when we return from Korea we can go there. It was one of the possibilities... At the moment it is not the best thing to do, but I am ready for this."
 
It also seems that the pontiff would endorse military intervention necessary to stop the continuation of IS attacks on religious minorities, even though the Vatican generally doesn't endorse the use of force in any situation.
 
By Karen Rogers

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