Pope Francis on Thursday said the Catholic Church will not accept a Middle East without Christians, who often find themselves forced to flee areas of conflict and unrest in the region.
"We will not resign ourselves to imagining a Middle East without Christians," he said after meeting with Patriarchs from Syria, Iraq and Egypt, before calling for "the universal right to lead a dignified life and freely practice one's own faith to be respected."
Francis said he had spoken to the Patriarchs about "those who live in the Middle East, often in small flocks, in environments marked by hostility and conflicts" and "the size of the diaspora, which is notably growing."
He said he was concerned by "the situation of Christians, who suffer in a particularly severe way the consequences of tensions and conflicts in many part of the Middle East."
"Syria, Iraq, Egypt and other areas of the Holy Land sometimes overflow with tears," he said.
Francis said he "will not rest while there are still men and women, of any religion, whose dignity is affronted, who are stripped of the basics necessary for survival, whose future is stolen, who are forced to become refugees or displaced people."
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