The oldest on-going ministry for the persecuted church has launched a petition on behalf of Christians that are facing intensified persecution in the east African nation of Eritrea.

|TOP|In response to the 26 evangelical pastors and 1,778 Eritrean Christians held in prisons, military confinement camps and shipping containers as a result of secret prayer and worship meetings outside government-approved churches, Open Doors USA has launched an online petition. Through the help of supporters’ signatures, Open Doors hopes to urge US Congress and the US Department of State to continue efforts to end religious freedom violations by the Eritrean government.

“The situation continues to deteriorate for Christians in Eritrea,” said Open Doors USA President Dr. Carl A. Moeller in a statement released by the ministry. “Over the past six months the number of Christians imprisoned for their faith has doubled. Some of them, including young people, are locked in shipping containers placed in the hot sun.

As of May 2002, the Eritrean government has denied legalising religious groups other than the Orthodox, Catholic, Lutheran and Muslim faiths. Recently, members of both legal and unregistered Protestant churches have been arrested and heightened persecution are mostly directed at Protestant faiths.

The U.S. State Department has reacted to the Eritrean government’s severe religious violations by imposing sanctions on the country. On Sept. 23, Eritrea became the first nation ever sanctioned by the U.S. State Department under the 1998 Religious Freedom Act by enacting a “denial of commercial exports to Eritrea of any defense articles and services controlled under the Arms Control Export Act,” reported Open Doors. The country in 2004, was designated by the U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom and Department of State as a “Country of Particular Concern.”

“Please join with me in praying for these imprisoned brothers and sisters in Christ,” said Moeller, in concluding his statement. “Open Doors USA is also stepping up its advocacy on their behalf by urging Christians in the West to sign this petition to put pressure on the Eritrean government to give religious freedom to all worshippers.”

Open Doors, an international ministry in approximately 60 countries, has reached out to indigenous Christian groups since 1955. The works of the organisation include bringing Bibles into China, Vietnam, Africa and the Muslim World, along with organising training seminars and supplying practical aid for suffering Christians. In 2003, Open Doors donated 4 million Bibles, children’s Bibles, study Bibles and other scriptural books to persecuted Christians and trained 22,000 pastors and church leaders.

For more information or to sign the petition visit:
opendoorsusa.org







Michelle Vu
Christian Today Correspondent