In Defense of Christians Around the World

It is great to be with you here at In Defense of Christians. Your work stands like a shining city on the hill in a time of darkness. You remind us all that the call to defend our brothers and sisters in Christ is not optional, but essential.

Just before Charlie Kirk was tragically murdered last week, he was asked this question which now echoes in my mind: “If you could be remembered for one thing, what would it be?”

He answered: “I want to be remembered for courage for my faith. That would be the most important thing in my life.” There is a clarity and a courage in that response that all of us should emulate. We are called by Christ himself not to comfort, but to the cross; not to applause, but to faithfulness. 

If our lives are remembered for courage in confessing Jesus Christ, then we have lived well.

The Lord himself told us in the gospel of Matthew, “Blessed are you when they insult you and persecute you and utter every kind of evil against you falsely because of me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward will be great in heaven. Thus they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:11–12). From the very beginning, the Church has understood this: that the way of discipleship is the way of the Cross, and that the witness of suffering for Christ is the seed of faith.

The great bishop of Milan, Saint Ambrose, said it this way in the fourth century: “By the death of martyrs, religion has been defended, faith increased, the Church strengthened; the dead have conquered, the persecutors have been overcome. The death itself of the martyrs is the prize of their life.” 

Ambrose’s words ring with eternal truth. The blood of the martyrs is not wasted; it is the very foundation of the Church’s strength.

Nearly 1,700 years after Ambrose, the persecution of our brothers and sisters in Christ remains rampant. Consider just a few of the most egregious examples.

There is more we can and should do to end these atrocities.

In Nigeria, more than 7,000 Christians have been killed in the first 220 days of this year alone. That is thirty-five believers every single day. Only weeks ago, Islamist militants massacred nearly 200 in Benue State in one of the worst single attacks yet.

In Burkina Faso, 2022 brought more anti-Christian attacks than any other country in the world. More than two million people—10 percent of the population—have been displaced by Islamist violence, including the murder of hundreds of worshippers.

In Egypt, Coptic Christians live as second-class citizens. Churches face endless restrictions, villages endure mob attacks, and reports continue to surface of Christian girls being kidnapped, trafficked, and forced to convert to Islam.

In Sudan, the outbreak of war has meant that more than 165 churches have been destroyed or shut down. The Anglican Cathedral in Khartoum was even seized and turned into a military base.

In Somalia, Al-Shabaab vows openly to eradicate Christianity. Converts are hunted down as “high-value targets,” and not a single public place of worship for non-Muslims exists in the country.

In Pakistan, August of 2023 saw mobs torch twenty-five churches and at least eighty-five homes in one city, the worst anti-Christian violence in Pakistan’s history. Young Christian girls are routinely kidnapped, abused, and forced to convert.

And in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ISIS-affiliated extremists recently attacked a Catholic Church during a night vigil, killing over forty worshippers—men, women, and children—before burning the surrounding town.

This list covers only a fraction of the atrocities committed against Christians. In every corner of the world, the Body of Christ bleeds. And yet, it seems like no one in the mainstream media cares.

That is why I introduced House Resolution 594. My resolution formally condemns the persecution of Christians in Muslim-majority countries and calls attention to the plight of those who suffer simply for professing the name of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. It identifies nations where persecution is most severe, and it names the injustices that are too often ignored. 

I do not believe we should be the world police and intervene militarily, but the United States is a powerful nation. There is more we can and should do to end these atrocities. That’s why my resolution calls on President Trump to use all the tools at his disposal to defend Christians around the world—including using economic, diplomatic, trade, and security levers to further the cause of protecting Christians.

Persecution is always evil and unjust. Our Lord himself echoes the Psalms in the gospel of John: “They hated me without a cause” (John 15:25; Psalms 69:4). And Saint Paul reminds us that, “Indeed, all who desire to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted” (2 Tim 3:12). To be a disciple is to expect the cross.

Why do I care so deeply about this? I am first and foremost a Catholic. My faith shapes who I am, how I see the world, and what I believe my duty is as a representative of the people. It touches every aspect of my life. And I believe firmly that those of us in positions of public trust cannot remain silent while our brothers and sisters are slaughtered, silenced, or driven from the very lands where Christ himself once walked. 

As a Christian nation, founded upon biblical principles, the United States bears a unique obligation to stand for the freedom of Christians wherever they are threatened. We cannot solve every conflict around the globe, but we must never turn a blind eye when the innocent are slaughtered simply for confessing the name of Jesus Christ.

We must also remember how we are called to respond to persecution. Jesus commands us in the gospel of Luke: “Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you. To him who strikes you on the cheek, offer the other also. . . . Love your enemies, and do good, and give, expecting nothing in return, and your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High; for He is kind to the ungrateful and selfish.” 

The generous and loving forgiveness of the persecuted toward their persecutors is not just a noble sentiment; it is the very heart of the Christian life. Without it, all suffering “for righteousness’ sake” is in vain and does not lead to the Kingdom of Heaven. This kind of forgiveness is impossible for man, but possible with God. Only in Christ can hatred be conquered by love, violence overcome by peace, and death transformed into life.

So let us take courage from the martyrs, both ancient and modern. Let us remember Charlie Kirk’s words and strive to be remembered for courage in our faith. Let us recommit ourselves to defending the persecuted, not only with our words, but with our actions. And let us never forget that the Cross of Christ, which seemed to the world like defeat, is in truth the victory of God.

Thank you, and may God bless you.