Mar. 23, 2015 Beheading of 21 Copts by ISIS 'a turning point for the world,' Coptic bishop

Mar. 23, 2015 Beheading of 21 Copts by ISIS 'a turning point for the world,' Coptic bishop

Mar. 23, 2015

Beheading of 21 Copts by ISIS 'a turning point for the world,' Coptic bishop says

Mar. 23, 2015 Beheading of 21 Copts by ISIS 'a turning point for the world,' Coptic bishop 23_E1_11

Bishop Angaelos specializes in advocacy and human rights initiatives.

اقتباس :: LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online): Angaelos, speaking at the Press Club, declared, "Recently, 21 Christians who had gone to Libya to support their families as you all know were captured and beheaded brutally.

"This was a turning point for the news," he said. "This was a turning point for the world. This showed that even evil had a red line that people didn't want it to cross and then there was a reaction.

"These 21 unknown men from a small village had suddenly impacted tens of millions of people around the world because of the way they lost their lives and the witness they had presented because of the clarity of this reporting, the sincerity of it, the credibility of it -- the Coptic community felt empowered. It felt that it was supported," he said.

Coverage of the tragedy, he said, was a positive example of the Western media's reporting of Christian persecution. He also cited examples where coverage had been lacking.

"When you had the attacks on churches in August 2013, unprecedented, 50 churches, 50 places of Christian ministry attacked within a very small space of 48 hours - again, it took the world two weeks to report on that," he said.

"The media must always reflect humanity in the situation which it finds itself," he said. "It must remember that human beings are not just numbers and statistics. Unfortunately, we've all been numbed."

"We turn on our televisions and we hear that only 10 people died today in Iraq -- it must have been a good day and it's tragic, that's horrible," the bishop said. "But each one of those 10 lives is a life that has touched 10 families and communities and countries."

"We need to stay away from labeling communities and groups, generalizing," he said. "We must report atrocities as atrocities and not be selective because of who they may fall upon or which interests they may serve. We must not merely seek the lowest common denominator or the simplest model to present because sometimes often what happens is far from simple and it needs a more critical and informed eye."

Bishop Angaelos specializes in advocacy and human rights initiatives.