Mary KennyBravo to France for taking the initiative in offering asylum and protection to beleagured Iraqi Christians from Mosul. The French press has followed these dreadful persecutions much more closely than the mainstream press in the English-speaking world.
Ironic that the French Republic, so affirmatively a secular state, has been the most responsive to afflicted Christians in the Middle East. And that Ireland, which still has God in the Constitution, has said or done so little.
Christians in Mosul have had the letter 'N' daubed on their homes, to mark them out for punishment, confiscation of property and goods, or exile. 'N' is for 'Nazarene' – meaning Jesus Christ. We should take up the letter 'N' in solidarity with those persecuted for their faith, and wear it with pride. I hope some imaginative manufacturer might distribute a lapel badge bearing the Nazarene's mark: 'N'.