Knights of Columbus raises awareness of Christian persecution in Middle East, Syrian archbishop pleads for help

Archbishop Jean Clement Jeanbart from Syria had asked people at New Haven, Connecticut to help the people in his country. Speaking at an event co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus on May 1, he shared with the more than 350 people present what is happening to his home in Aleppo.

"They have destroyed the whole city," he said, according to Fox61. "When I think about all that it (Aleppo) was and all that it is now, you may be sure that I cry in my heart."

Around 20 percent of Aleppo is under the control of the Islamic State aka Daesh terrorists, he said, and they intend to erase Christianity in the Middle East. Jeanbart emphasized the need to help the Syrian Christians whose history and ancestry dates back to the time of the Biblical Paul.

"What is important is to help and to save this original group of Christians," he said, as quoted on the Knights of Columbus website. "The Lord wants that. They have been living for 2,000 years among hardships, difficulties and persecutions, and they continue."

Following Secretary of State John Kerry's confirmation that genocide is being committed against Christians and other religious minorities, the Knights of Columbus is helping to raise awareness on the issue. In April, they released a television ad that centers on the needs of Middle Eastern Christians.

"Persecution of Christians in the Middle East has been declared as genocide," the TV commercial says, "but the attacks continue. Christians are still being kidnapped, killed and sold into slavery. Relief efforts are sorely needed – your help is sorely needed."

According to Knights of Columbus CEO Carl Anderson, they have raised around $10.5 million for ad campaigns that put into focus the plight of Christians in the Middle East.

"Are we willing to allow these communities which go back to the time of Christ and the time of the Apostle Paul to become extinguished?" he said. "It is a struggle between humanity and the enemies of humanity. So, we can't make this a secondary issue."

According to non-profit organization Open Doors, the persecution level in Syria is extreme, and the main cause is Islamic extremism. Since the start of the war in 2011, 7.6 million Christians have been displaced. The BBC reported that as of August 2015, the United Nations estimated at least a quarter of a million Syrians have died, while 4.5 million have fled and 6.5 million were internally displaced. Fox16 says that at last 1,000 people were killed last year simply because they were Christians.