Europe: the number of Christianized Muslim refugees is on the rise
According to the reports of the clergy of European churches who are in large-scale Christianizing, an increasingly growing number of Muslim refugees in Europe are getting Christianized. It is reported by The guardian.
A considerable amount of Muslims, who have migrated from the Middle East and Central Asia countries as a result of conflicts, reprisals or economic hardships, has been converted into Christianity. Reportedly, it can be caused by the sincere belief in a new religion. Apart from that, a lot of Muslims think conversion into a new faith is likely to raise the prospect of being granted asylum.
In spite of the absence of official statistics there is some evidence that the conversion incidence is burgeoning. The number of parishioners in the Holy Trinity church in the suburbs of Berlin has increased twice over the two years from 150 to 700 people owing to proselytes among the Muslim population, pastor Gottfried Martens informed.
The Catholic Church is reported to have accepted as many as 300 applications on taking baptism over the first quarter of 2016, of which 70% are presumably refugees. The Liverpool Council in England performs special weekly church services in Arabic, which are attended by 100 up to 140 church goers. Virtually all of them come from Iran, Afghanistan, and Central Asia countries.
Mohammad Egtedarian, vicar of the Liverpool cathedral and Iran refugee, who had been converted into Christianity and then inducted into a church office, told that the Church helps people to develop their faith, as well as to assist in applying for the refugee status. “These two factors are interwoven. Most people submit asylum applications based on their religion”, he said.
Bishop of Bradford Tobi Hovart believes “there are a lot of grounds to be Christianized, the most important one being mass migration of people from one country to another and growing world cohesion”, he said.
Read also
The Primate of the UOC Performed the Rite of Burial of the Theotokos Shroud at the Lavra
The service with the rite of burial of the Shroud of the Most Holy Theotokos was performed at the church in honor of Venerable Agapitus of the Caves.
UOC Chancellor calls for not silencing the murder of a monk at Svyatogorsk Lavra
Metropolitan Anthony stated the need for an objective investigation into the attack at Svyatogorsk Lavra.
UOC hierarch leads patronal feast for persecuted parish in Blahodatne
Metropolitan Theodosiy celebrated the Dormition Liturgy in a makeshift worship space in the village of Blahodatne.
Chernivtsi morgue staff accused of selling tissue taken from the dead
Employees of a pathology bureau in the Chernivtsi region allegedly removed tissue from deceased people for sale to bioimplant manufacturers.
Polish MEP: Ukraine is spitting in Poland’s face with its Bandera pantheon
Ewa Zajączkowska-Hernik sharply criticized the creation of a national pantheon in Ukraine.
Patriarch Theophilos celebrates Liturgy at Dormition Church in Gethsemane
A festive service for the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos was held at the church over the Tomb of the Mother of God in Gethsemane.