The Archbishop of Canterbury said Christians across parts of the Muslim world are being deliberately attacked because of their faith.
The Most Rev Justin Welby said that there had been more than 80 Christian “martyrs” in the last few days alone.
He was speaking about the bombing of All Saints Anglican church in Peshawar, Pakistan, in which 85 were killed and more than 200 injured.
He said Christians were also being singled out for violence in a string of other countries.
Christian communities which have existed “in many cases since the days of Saint Paul” are now under threat in countries such as Syria and Egypt, news reports quoted Archbishop Welby.
Last month around 100 Christian sites were attacked amid the turmoil in Egypt, with 42 churches burnt to the ground. Ancient Christian communities in Syria have also been singled out for violence.
In an interview on BBC Radio 4, Archbishop Welby said it was the duty of Christians to pray for their killers.
He said that in many cases apparently religious conflicts are actually bound up with other social and historical grievances but that this could not explain several recent attacks on Christian.
“As Christians one of the things is that we pray for justice and particularly the issues around the anger that comes from his kind of killing.
“But we are also called as Jesus did at the cross to pray for those who are doing us harm,” the prelate said.
Sources
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