Iraqi Christians Comparable to Soviet Jews Fleeing

Huh.  Fascinating interview with Msgr. Robert Stern, secretary general of CNEWA, an aid organization helping the Catholics (and other Christians) in Egypt. Excerpts:

...How old is the Catholic community in Egypt, and what is its current status?

A little under 2,000 years (chuckling). First of all, I should say that the Catholics are a miniscule minority of the Christians in Egypt: 10% of the Egyptian population is Christian, but it is overwhelmingly Coptic Orthodox. Our work is to look to the welfare of the Catholics, who number between 150,000 and 250,000, but the Holy Father has also given us the task of working for the union of the Catholic and Orthodox Churches in the Near and Middle East. So we care deeply about the welfare of Catholics and Orthodox and evangelical Christians in Egypt.

How are Christians treated in Egypt?

Christians are definitely being discriminated against. Whether it is useful to say this publicly, whether it will hurt them more than help them, is a matter for prudential judgment. But in Islam there is no such thing as separation of church and state. And when you have a Muslim majority, you almost always have a state that is run in a way that favors Muslims. In Egypt there are very rarely Christian cabinet ministers, Christian senior officials, Christian generals, Christian village leaders.

Do Christian leaders see the current uprising as dangerous?

I think they do. The Orthodox Coptic Pope Shenouda III has expressed hopes for reform coming from the current situation, but all Christian leaders there are afraid that there will be a repetition of Iraq after the fall of Saddam Hussein. At least Christians were protected under Saddam, but once he fell and Sunnis and Shiites began fighting, Christians were caught in the cross fire.

Some radical Muslims in Egypt may already be taking advantage of the uprising to attack Christians...

What can Catholics in America do?
Firstly, just to be aware there is a Church in Egypt would be a big step. The Christians in Egypt do feel themselves in solidarity with Christians around the world. We should feel the same with them.

Secondly, they really do need our support, lobbying, speaking, expressing indignation when someone tosses a bomb into a church. Ask our members of Congress what the United States is getting back for its billion dollars in aid each year.

Should Catholics be preparing to receive a flood of refugees from Egypt?

I don’t think there is going to be a major exodus. There is still a critical mass of Christians in Egypt that makes the community there self-sustaining. Whereas, the kindest thing Americans can do for the Iraqi Christians is to lobby for their easy admission to the U.S., as was once done for Jews leaving the Soviet Union.