Bishop Angaelos, a U.K.-based leader of the Coptic Orthodox Church, stood before the media holding up a thick report on \u201cgenocide\u201d\u009d in the Middle East that featured a 2015 photo of Islamic state extremists preparing to behead 21 members of his faith in Libya.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey were not killed for any other reason but they were Christians,\u201d\u009d he said Thursday (March 10), joining with others calling attention to religious persecution.<\/p>\n
Hours later, he addressed board members of the National Association of Evangelicals, explaining the basics of his 15 million-member faith \u201d\u201d \u201cCoptic Orthodox just means Egyptian Orthodox\u201d\u009d \u201d\u201d and telling them that what they have in common \u201cfar, far exceeds\u201d\u009d their differences.<\/p>\n
A year after losing 21 fellow Copts, Angaelos continues his bridge-building work, seeking support for persecuted people of many faiths, visiting Muslim refugees and helping evangelicals realize that the Orthodox are part of the Christian flock.<\/p>\n