Pope Francis on Wednesday made a special appeal for persecuted Christian minorities in the Middle East, Vatican Radio reported.
"God does not remain silent before the suffering and cries of His children,” the radio station quoted Francis as telling pilgrims at his weekly general audience in St Peter's Square.
"Nor does He remain silent before injustice and persecution: He rather intervenes and gives, by His mercy, rescue and salvation,” Vatican Radio cited Francis as saying.
Francis has been a vocal advocate for the rights of religious minorities around the world, and particularly of Christians in the Middle East, where ancient Christian communities are suffering often brutal and deadly persecution, particularly at the hands of the so-called Islamic State jihadist group.
Francis concluded his remarks to Arabic-speaking pilgrims with a blessing and invoked divine protection for them.
“God bless you all,” he said, “and protect you from the Evil One,” Vatican Radio reported.
