Sacred objects desecrated during Islamic State persecution will tour Italian churches bearing witness to the sufferings of Middle East Catholics.
Photo from acs-italia.org
Newsroom (13/02/2022 3:05 PM , Gaudium Press) Islamic State terrorists have been responsible for desecrating, setting fire to and destroying numerous churches. The number of Christians kidnapped, tortured and killed between 2014 and 2016 was also countless.
Sadly, the world witnessed the adversity of Catholics during this period of death and persecution. However, hardships are far from over. Still today, persecution continues to be experienced by many Christians in the Middle East.
To showcase the suffering experienced by Christians in the region, the Pontifical Foundation Aid to the Church in Need has undertaken the initiative to exhibit sacred objects desecrated by the Islamic State.
The Italian churches that have hosted the objects so far are Santa Maria Magdalena in Palermo, Sicily and Santa Maria la Nova in Avesa, Verona.
Witnesses to persecution
The initiative started last December in Italy and may extend further than anticipated, as requests to host the sacred objects continue to grow.
Among the objects exposed to the public are a small image of Our Lady, two chalices, an ostensory and an evangeliary. The objects came from the Al Tahira basilica located in Qaraqosh and were recovered by Catholics thanks to the efforts of the Pontifical Foundation.
The purpose of exposing the desecrated objects is to share the suffering of persecuted Christians with faithful from other parts of the world while praying for the persecutors’ conversion. (FM)
Compiled by Gustavo Kralj
