U.S. CWA urges prayer for persecuted Christians in N. Korea & Sudan

WASHINGTON, Nov 12, 2004 (U.S. Newswire) — Concerned Women for America (CWA) joins other Christians around the world on Sunday, Nov. 14, for the annual International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church to pray for Christians who experience persecution for their faith.

This year, CWA encourages its 500,000 members to pray specifically for North Korea and the Darfur region of the Sudan.

“North Korea and Darfur are two areas where Christians are suffering horrible persecution that is tragic and far too often fatal,” said Dr. Janice Crouse, senior fellow of the Beverly LaHaye Institute, CWA’s think tank, and a CWA representative on two national task forces for religious freedom.

North Korea

“Over 400,000 North Koreans are reported to have perished in the gulags where unspeakable cruelty and horrific conditions are an international disgrace,” said Dr. Crouse. “The situation in North Korea has been described as the worst human rights abuse in the world; persecuted people are executed routinely and the depravity is systemic,” Crouse concludes.

CWA urges Christians to pray for the human rights groups who are investigating the situation and for those who are trying to intervene.

Darfur

“The bloody ethnic cleansing in the Darfur region of the Sudan has displaced hundreds of thousands and virtually destroyed a whole region,” said Crouse. “Famine, unbelievable abuses and the humanitarian crisis in Darfur are a human rights catastrophe,” she added.

CWA asks its members to pray for Darfur, not just on Sunday but to commit to fervent prayer until the situation is reversed.