Vatican City, Oct 12, 2010 / 12:54 pm
The survival of the Christian minority and the need for greater missionary zeal in the region were among the key topics to emerge from the initial sessions of the special Synod for Bishops on the Middle East.
Coptic Bishop Yohannes Zakaria of Luxor, Egypt warned that the tiny Christian minority "is fighting against the danger of its own decline.”
He said the Church in the region must renew its commitment and its enthusiasm for mission.
Melkite Archbishop Elias Chacour of Haifa, Israel said that Christians in the region face daily threats from governments that want to expel them from the land.