Persecuted and Forgotten

[accessed 22/04/24]. 246 “UNESCO criticizes Ankara over conversion of Hagia Sophia, Chora Monastery," Ekathimerini , 23 rd July 2011 https://www.ekathimerini.com/ news/1165097/unesco-criticises-ankara-about-conversion-of-hagia-sophia- chora-monastery/ [accessed 03/05/24]. 247 “Turkey (Türkiye)," US State Dept 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom https://www.state.gov/reports/2023-report-on-international- religious-freedom/turkey/ [accessed 03/07/24]. 248 “50 th Anniversary of the Closing of Halki Seminary," USCIRF , 29 th July 2021 https://www.state.gov/50th-anniversary-of-the-closing-of-halki-seminary/ [accessed 03/05/24]. 249 Mehmet Algan, “Assyrian Christians increasingly move back to Turkey after more than 40 years," Middle East Eye, 23 rd December 2023 https://www. middleeasteye.net/news/assyrian-christians-increasingly-move-back-turkey- after-more-40-years [accessed 18/04/24]. 250 “91-year-old Syriac man killed in armed attack in southeast Turkey," Stockholm Center for Freedom , 8 th November 2023 https://stockholmcf.org/91- year-old-syriac-man-killed-in-armed-attack-in-southeast-turkey/ [accessed 07/05/24]. 251 Orla Guerin and Lipika Pelham, “Istanbul church attack: Gunmen kill one person during Sunday morning mass," BBC News (online) , 28 th January 2024 https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-68122404 [accessed 13/03/24] . 252 “Scandalous order to schools in Turkey: banned from celebrating Christian holidays," News.Am , 24 th February 2024 https://news.am/eng/news/809164. html [accessed 13/03/24]. 253 “Turkey Criticized for Failing to Protect Historic Church," AINA , 4 th April 2024 http://www.aina.org/news/20240402091405.htm [accessed 08/04/24]. 254 “Turkiye: former church to reopen as mosque," Middle East Monitor , 8 th February 2024 https://www.middleeastmonitor.com/20240208-turkiye- former-church-to-reopen-as-mosque/ [accessed 13/03/24]; “Turkey formally opens another former Byzantine-era church as a mosque," AP , 6 th May https:// apnews.com/article/turkey-byzantine-chora-church-mosque-opening- erdogan-ba2dd54f892823d76bf1a25ef0d7ea20 [accessed 09/05/24]. 255 Abdullah Bozkurt, “Turkish intelligence conducted surveillance on Protestants, profiled them as threats to national security," Nordic Monitor , 13 th June 2023 https://nordicmonitor.com/2024/06/turkish-intelligence- conducted-surveillance-on-protestants-profiled-them-as-threats-to-national- security/ [accessed 03/07/24]. 256 USCIRF 2024 Annual Report , p. 51. 257 “Vietnam’s New Religious Decree Further Burdens Local Churches," Christianity Today , 5 th April 2024 https://christianitytoday.com/news/2024/ april/vietnam-religious-decree-liberty-church-christian.html [accessed 19/04/24]. 258 “Vietnamese police try to stamp out religious sect," Radio Free Asia , 15 th July 2022 https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/vietnamese-police-try-to- stamp-out-religious-sect-07152022012327.html [accessed 07/05/24]. 259 “An Hoa Parish Lodges Complaint As The Land It owned Pre-1975 Is Divided And Sold," The Vietnamese , 12 th February 2022 https://www. thevietnamese.org/2022/02/religion-bulletin-november-2021-an-hoa-parish- lodges-complaint-as-the-land-it-owned-pre-1975-is-divided-and-sold/ [accessed 30/05/22]. 260 “Catholic volunteers do God’s work for Covid patients in Vietnam," UCA News , 5 th January 2022 https://www.ucanews.com/news/catholic-volunteers-do- gods-work-for-covid-patients-in-vietnam/95602 [accessed 28/07/22]. 261 Nirmala Carvalho, “Redemptorists demand return of historic monastery in Vietnam," Crux , 18 th November 2023 https://cruxnow.com/church-in- asia/2023/11/redemptorists-demand-return-of-historic-monastery-in- vietnam [accessed 19/04/24]. 262 “Vietnam Full Gospel Church recognised," Vietnam Plus , 27 th December 2023 https://en.vietnamplus.vn/vietnam-full-gospel-church-recognised/275471. vnp [accessed 23/04/24]. 263 “Vietnam sentences ethnic minority man to 4½ years for religious activities," Radio Free Asia https://www.rfa.org/english/news/vietnam/ blang-01262024162452.html [accessed 19/04/24]. 264 “Dak Lak: Police arrest three worshippers from a Protestant house church," Asia News , 9 th March 2024 https://www.asianews.it/news-en/Dak-Lak:-Police- arrest-three-worshippers-from-a-Protestant-house-church-60309.html ; “Three House Church Members Released from Jail in Vietnam," Persecution. Org https://www.persecution.org/2024/03/13/three-house-church-members- released-from-jail-in-vietnam/ [both sites accessed 19/04/24]. 265 “Archbishop Gallagher makes 6-day visit to Vietnam," Vatican News , 9 th April 2024 https://www.vaticannews.va/en/vatican-city/news/2024-04/paul- richard-gallagher-vietnam-diplomatic-visit-holy-see.html [accessed 19/04/24].

[accessed 13/04/24]. 217 ACN Church sources in Sudan.

218 “Christian Buildings Targeted in Military Conflict in Sudan," Morning Star News , 25 th November 2023 https://morningstarnews.org/2023/11/christian- buildings-targeted-in-military-conflict-in-sudan/ [accessed 13/04/24]. 219 ACN, “Sudan," Religious Freedom in the World 2023 Report https://acninternational. org/religiousfreedomreport/reports/country/2023/sudan [accessed 13/04/24]. 220 Becca Coon, “Sudan Progresses Toward Religious Liberty," Decision Magazine , 31 st December 2019 https://decisionmagazine.com/sudan-progresses-toward- religious-liberty [accessed 13/04/24]. 221 ACN, “Sudan," Religious Freedom in the World 2023 Report, op. cit. 222 Kelsey Zorzi and Sean Nelson, ‘Sudanese couple on trial after conversion to Christianity’, ADF International https://adfinternational.org/cases/sudan [accessed 06/05/24]. 223 “Sudan," US State Dept 2023 Report on International Religious Freedom https://www.state.gov/reports/2022-report-on-international-religious- freedom/sudan/ [accessed 19/09/24]. 224 “Sudan war: church attached, mosques bombed, and more hospitals raided," Dabanga , 15 th May 2023 https://www.dabangasudan.org/en/all-news/article/ sudan-war-church-attacked-mosques-bombed-and-more-hospitals-raided [accessed 06/05/24]. 225 “Christian Buildings Targeted in Military Conflict in Sudan," Morning Star News , 6 th November 2023 https://morningstarnews.org/2023/11/christian- buildings-targeted-in-military-conflict-in-sudan/ [accessed 13/04/24]. 226 ACN Church sources in Sudan. 227 John Newton, “Mass emigration threatening Christian future in Syria," ACN (UK) News , 15 th March 2024 https://acnuk.org/news/syria-mass-emigration/ [accessed 10/05/24]. 228 “Don’t Forget About the Persecuted Christians of Iraq and Syria – Opinion," Newsweek , 30 th January 2024 https://www.newsweek.com/dont-forget- about-persecuted-christians-iraq-syria-opinion-1864499 [accessed 06/05/24]. 229 ACN sources. 230 Amy Balog, “Mass exodus threatens the future of Christianity," ACN (UK) News , 20 th September 2023 https://acnuk.org/news/syria-lebanon-christians- leaving-threatening-future-of-church/ [accessed 06/05/24]. 231 “Christians in Syria’s Idlib hold major Mass," Al-Monitor , 4 th September 2022 https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/09/christians-syrias-idlib-hold- major-mass [accessed 06/05/24]. 232 “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham converts more Christian property in Edleb into mosques and headquarters," SyriacPress , 14 th January 2021 https://syriacpress. com/blog/2021/01/14/syria-hayat-tahrir-al-sham-converts-more-christian- property-in-edleb-into-mosques-and-headquarters/ [accessed 06/05/24]. 233 ACN sources. 234 “Syria," USCRIF 2023 Annual Report https://www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/ files/2023-05/Syria.pdf [accessed 17/07/24]. 235 ACN sources. 236 Sirwan Kajjo, “Christians Concerned About Turkish Attacks in Northeast Syria," Voice of America , 16 th September 2021 https://www.voanews. com/a/6227751.html [accessed 06/05/24]. 237 ACN sources. 238 “Factsheet – Religious Freedom in Syria," USCIRF , November 2022 https:// www.uscirf.gov/sites/default/files/2022-11/2022%20Factsheet%20-%20HTS- Syria.pdf [accessed 06/05/24]. 239 Patrizia Caiffa, “Card. Zenari (Nuncio): ‘Syria has fallen out of the headlines. Forgotten by news media and by the international community’," Sir , 10 th April 2024 https://www.agensir.it/mondo/2024/04/10/card-zenari-nuncio- syria-has-fallen-out-of-the-headlines-forgotten-by-news-media-and-by-the- international-community/ [accessed 23/04/24]. 240 “Idlib’s Christians Disenfranchised Until Their Church Bells Ring Again,," Syrians for Truth and Justice , 27 th December 2022 https://stj-sy.org/en/idlibs- christians-disenfranchised-until-their-church-bells-ring-again/ ; Khaled Al- Khateb. “Christians in Syria’s Idlib hold major Mass," Al Monitor , 4 th September 2022 https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/09/christians-syrias-idlib- hold-major-mass [accessed 23/04/24]. 241 “Hassaké: Syrian Christians and Christmas in the shadow of a Turkish threat," Asia News , 16 th December 2022 https://www.asianews.it/news-en/Hassaké:- Syrian-Christians-and-Christmas-in-the-shadow-of-a-Turkish-threat-57334. html [accessed 06/05/24]. 242 “Christians in NE Syria protected, threats remain – report," North Press Agency , 11 th March 2023 https://npasyria.com/en/94551/ [accessed 06/05/24]. 243 Lyse Mauvais, Solin Muhammed Amin, “‘Strangers in our own homes’: A warning Assyrian community holds on in northeastern Syria," Syria Direct , 21 st March 2023 https://syriadirect.org/strangers-in-our-own-homes-a-waning- assyrian-community-holds-on-in-northeastern-syria/ [accessed 06/05/24]. 244 Amy Balog, “Mass exodus threatens the future of Christianity," ACN (UK) News , 20 th September 2023 (https://acnuk.org/news/syria-lebanon-christians- leaving-threatening-future-of-church/ [accessed 06/05/24]. 245 “Turkey’s attacks threaten Christians in Syria – Syriac AANES official," North Press Agency , 28 th November 2023 https://npasyria.com/en/108101/

43

Powered by