Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, Persecution of Christians and other non-Islamic faiths has reached appalling proportions in the Middle East. Many have died and many more are displaced, running for some place of refuge from the attacking extremists. The Middle East, the cradle of the faith for Christians, Jewish and Muslims, is not a place of co-existence but a broad and shifting war zone where various factions maneuver for dominance and power. Iraq, Syria and Gaza are now places where violence is directed at so many Christians and others who seek just to protect their children and survive. Life with peace and dignity is impossible...