The Orthodox Public Affairs Committee (OPAC) has issued a statement condemning what it describes as a rising tide of violence against Christians and growing global indifference to human suffering.
The statement follows the massacre of more than 40 Christians in the Ituri province of the Democratic Republic of Congo on Sunday. The victims were gathered in a Catholic church for an overnight prayer vigil when armed militants aligned with the Islamic State stormed the building. The attackers used guns and machetes, then set the church on fire, killing nearly everyone inside.
OPAC called it “a massacre of the faithful in the house of God,” stressing that this was not a clash between opposing forces, but a deliberate and targeted slaughter of innocent believers at worship. The group warned that the tragedy in Congo is part of a wider pattern of unchecked brutality.
The statment reads: "Meanwhile, in Gaza, a humanitarian catastrophe continues to unfold in full view of the world. Over 59,700 people have been killed, with women and children comprising more than half of the dead. Nearly half a million civilians now face famine-like conditions. In just the last 24 hours, at least 53 Palestinians were killed, many while attempting to access food and aid. The death toll near aid distribution points has now exceeded 1,000 lives lost, and the number of wounded climbs toward 5,000. The world’s response? Cautious headlines, diplomatic hedging, and business as usual".
Earlier this month, extremist Israeli settlers attacked Taybeh in the West Bank, the last remaining entirely Christian village. Families have reportedly been threatened, clergy targeted, homes vandalised, and the 4th-century Church of St. George intentionally set on fire.
OPAC described the incident as a direct assault on Christian history and an effort to intimidate the Christian presence in the Holy Land.
"These settlers have acted with impunity, emboldened by silence and inaction," they said. "They have blocked roads, targeted clergy, and sent a message to Christians across the region: you are not welcome here. It is ethnic intimidation dressed as religious nationalism - and it is happening under the world's nose".
"From the desecrated churches of Congo to the starving children of Gaza, the tormented civilians of Ukraine to the slaughtered Christians in Nigeria—the pattern is clear: a global descent into chaos, cruelty, and indifference. These are crimes against humanity. The failure to confront them is a crime of silence".
The statement ended with a stark warning that the suffering unfolding across the world is not just a political crisis, but a spiritual and moral one.
It called for there to be "truth from the global media", "decisive action from world leaders", and "moral coruage from faith communities" to protect those who are opressed.
