No shortage of martyrs. . .

As I have often said, the tragedy of our Middle East policy is that the Christians there have suffered more following the intervention of the West and other Arab states in removing oppressive dictators than they did under the oppressive dictators. . .

If you are not praying for the Copts and for the Christians remaining in the face of unending violence and threats, you ought to be.

At Saint George Church, a Coptic church in Tanta, Egypt, the deacons were finishing the final vowels in Evlogimenos (the Hosanna to the King of Israel), when the bomb exploded..." on Palm Sunday.  When the bomb exploded, they were left with 28 worshipers dead and many others wounded. Then, shortly afterwards, a suicide bomber, failed to enter Saint Mark’s Cathedral in Alexandria, where the Coptic Pope was leading the liturgy.  He did not, however, fail to detonate his bomb outside the church and kill 17. On this joyful day when Coptic children often competed in turning palm fronds into the most beautiful and creative shapes, it became the deadliest day of attacks on this ancient community.

In December, the terrorists renewed their threats against the “worshipers of the cross,” their name for the Copts, and this only proves that they were serious.

Now there is some irony!  Hosanna means. . . "save us, we pray" (Ps. 118:25).  Indeed!