By Ruth Giedhill
The Archbishop of Canterbury (click here) and the Pope will today issue a powerful call today on behalf of all Christians persecuted by Islamic militants worldwide.
Pope Francis warns in his Easter homily of the difficulty of maintaining the Christians presence in lands where most Christians used to live.
Archbishop Justin Welby says issues such as sexuality which have torn churches apart internally, along with politics and gender, are "irrelevant".
He uses his Easter sermon today to remember the hundreds of thousands of Christians being martyred in Africa and the Middle East....
Hundreds of thousands?
...Life for Christians in most of the 50 countries on the Open Doors world watch list is getting more difficult, the charity says...
"Open Doors" (click here)
...In Syria along, four in ten Christians have fled the country. Nigeria, Iraq and Sudan are among the countries where thousands are suffering still, while in North Korea, which heads the persecution list, tens of thousands have been banished, arrested, tortured and killed and where the kidnapping and arrest of South Korean missionary Kim Jeong-Wook saw dozens more, presumed to be Christians, also rounded up, tortured and murdered.
In Pakistan Christians are socially excluded, living in fear of trumped-up blasphemy charges. Open doors says persecution is increasing most rapidly in Africa, especially sub-Saharan Africa where even Christian-majority states are experiencing unprecedented levels of exclusion, discrimination and violence. Kenya, the scene of the terrible mass university shootings, was the highest riser on the latest watch list, up to 19th from 43. Open Doors says Islamic extremism is "the most significant engine of persecution".
