Judge Jeanine Pirro last night called on Pope Francis to take action as Christians in the Middle East are faced with the choice to either convert, leave or die.
Read the transcript below.
Tonight, Christians in the Middle East marked for death because of their faith, and no one is fighting for them.
As Christians are slaughtered, churches torched, and families forced from their homeland, the mass murder of Christians is underway. While Israeli Jews are under similar attack, at least they have Netanyahu, a leader who is willing to fight to the death.
So, who should be defending Christians? Who? The leader of the Catholic Church, the pope, the man who shepherds the faithful.
Now, it may seem to you that the destruction of biblical antiquities, the looting of churches, and the persecution of Christians are a half a globe away. It’s someone else’s problem. After all, you’re safe. You live in the United States of America.
But you need to worry. A reverse crusade is already underway, and some of those extremists are already in the United States.
The radicalized Muslim group that has already created a caliphate in Syria, Iraq and the border of Jordan – a nation described not by nationality but by religion – issued an ultimatum to Christians to leave their homeland, convert to Islam, or die by the sword.
They spray paint the homes of Christians to identify those who must convert, leave, or die.
And as ISIS – no stranger to technology – posts pictures of Christians crucified, their intent to purge Christians from the Middle East is unquestioned.
And while I’m on the subject of who should be defending Christians, I might add that we are a nation founded on the Judeo-Christian ethic – as evidenced by our founding fathers in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution – so we should be doing something.
Why has the Obama administration’s foreign policy ignored the killing of Christians in the Middle East? Why has he provided funding to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt when the Egyptians themselves wanted the Brotherhood out because of their intolerance of other religions?
And while Iran’s supreme leader promises a world free of infidels and the flag of Islam in all four corners of the world, our president negotiates for Iran’s nuclear enrichment.
But now to the papacy: I am a Christian. I am a Catholic. I went to Catholic schools. My children are baptized. And I mean no disrespect, but it is time for the papacy and Pope Francis in particular to start protecting his Christian flock.
This month, Pope Francis preached that immigrant children in facilities around the United States should be “welcomed and protected.” Your holiness, they’re in the United States. They are protected. They are being given food, and clothing and shelter. No children are being killed by the United States. Christian children are being killed in the Middle East! And while we appreciate your prayer for those in the Middle East last week, it’s just not enough!
Everything about who we are, evidence of from whence we came as Christians is being destroyed. They are taking crosses off churches and turning them into mosques with loud speakers! Priceless relics are being destroyed or sold. And for the first time in 1,600 years, Mass will not be held in the ancient city of Mosul, Iraq. The language of Jesus, Aramaic, could be lost as well as Christians who speak it are murdered.
Your holiness, you are the leader of the flock. You control one of the wealthiest organizations in the world. And with wealth comes power.
Your recent trips and your planned trips do not reflect the urgent concern necessary for Christians in Iraq, and Syria and Egypt.
Your pronouncements span the globe. They’re repeated in hundreds of thousands of churches throughout the world to millions of parishioners. Every church in the world should be repeating a strong urgent message from the papacy condemning this slaughter and calling for the world to stop the annihilation of the innocents instead of worrying about immigrant children already protected by America.
As a brutal band of jihadists attempt to remove all evidence of Christianity and destroy biblical tombs like that of Jonah, you must act.
Your holiness, the papacy was silent during World War II. You cannot afford to let history repeat itself.
And your holiness, the papacy also lagged behind the sex abuse scandal. I know – I drafted the first grand jury report detailing the movement of pedophile priests in the nation.
It is time for the papacy to get out in front of this Christian massacre. You have incredible power. The Vatican is a country with ambassadors and a Secret Service. You can put political pressure on nations. You can provide sanctuary. You have resources for humanitarian aid. But most of all, you have the power of the pulpit, the power to change the world.
‘Turn the other cheek’ does not mean that you cannot respond. It does not mean that you cannot provide humanitarian aid. ‘Turn the other cheek’ does not mean that the most you can do is offer a prayer. It does not mean that you cannot go to Iraq and give those Christians who are marked for certain death – willing to die because of their belief in Jesus – some consolation before their inevitable end.
