The sanctuary built in the British capital was realized on the initiative of Father Benedict Kiely. Its purpose is to draw attention to the fact that Christianity is the most persecuted religion in the world.
The chapel named Mary, Mother of the Persecuted was consecrated on September 8 in the Ordinariate Church of Our Lady of the Assumption and St. Gregory in London. Although there are already chapels and holy places in other European countries where we can pray for the martyrs of today, this is the first of its kind in Europe. Father Benedict Kiely, who dedicated his life to supporting persecuted Christians in 2014, is behind the project. He continues his priestly activities in England and the United States, and he began to seriously deal with the plight of persecuted Christians when he was confronted with the conditions in which some religious communities live in the Middle East.
The London shrine was built around an icon of Mary painted by a Syrian Melkite Greek Catholic nun. The following inscription can be read on the icon in Aramaic: "Mother of the Persecuted".
The purpose of the sanctuary is to draw attention to the plight of the most persecuted religious community in the world, the Christians. According to Open Doors, 360 million Christians worldwide are persecuted for their faith, of which more than 50 million are subject to severe discrimination and abuse.
Following the model of the London shrine, several priests approached Father Kiely to build a similar one, who has already announced that the next shrine will be consecrated in October this year in Massachusetts, USA.
Benedict Kiely said that he thinks the recently consecrated place of worship in London is of great significance.
"I have heard many times from Iraqi, Syrian and Nigerian priests that deep down they feel that the Western Church does not care about them. This place proves that the Western Church cares about persecuted Christians, no matter where they live in the world".
Source: vasarnap.hu
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