Among Christians monitoring the U.S.-Israel attacks on Iran, there is clear and present concern for Christians imperilled by the ongoing explosive violence.  

Regina Lynch, the CEO of Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) International, said it is important to be mindful of the consequences visited upon Christians in Muslim-majority nations when the Western world intervenes.  

“Christians often become scapegoats for actions from the West,” said Lynch, who hails from Northern Ireland. “We forget that what we do has an effect on Christians because they still think we are (majority) Christian in the West.”

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ACN partners from Lebanon say residents of Christian towns and villages are fleeing out of fear of further escalation. She also heard from a northern Iraq contact about a drone striking a Christian housing complex in Ankawa that provided refuge for families displaced by ISIS violence between 2014 and 2018. There is also anxiety in Syria, Gaza and the West Bank.

Lynch underscored the dramatic decline in the number of Christians in the Middle East since the Iraq invasion and the subsequent rise of ISIS. The population has plummeted from an estimated 1.5 million in 2003 to approximately 150,000 to 250,000 today.

“We need to pray for these people to have the courage and perseverance to stay in their homeland,” said Lynch.

International Christian Concern (ICC) is an ecumenical non-government organization based in Washington that raises awareness and serves persecuted Christians. It is also calling for prayers in support of Iranians determined to gain their freedom.

“I’ve worked with the Iranian Church in some capacity since 2011, and this is the most excited that I have seen the Iranian Christians and the most determined I've seen them relative to their government situation,” said ICC president Shawn Wright.

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Wright was informed by Iranian friends that “everyone inside the country understands they may die fighting for this freedom from this repressive or oppressive regime that's been there for the last 47 years,” and “they are willing to die.”

Pope Leo XIV is one of the many religious leaders around the world who want to see no more people die. He has made multiple statements, most recently on March 8, calling for the fighting to end and for diplomacy to resume.

"Reports from Iran and across the entire Middle East continue to cause deep dismay and raise the fear that the conflict will expand, and that other countries in the region, including dear Lebanon, may once ‌again sink into instability," posted Pope Leo on X. “Let us raise our humble prayer to the Lord for the roar ​of bombs to ​cease, weapons to fall silent and that space may be opened for ​dialogue in which the voices of peoples ​can be heard.”

Wright replied to Leo and other figures calling for an immediate cessation of the hostilities.

“I understand their point of view," said Wright. “Of course, Biblically speaking, we certainly want peace. But I would say that I don't know that (with) the regime, you could ever have peace. The Iranian regime has not been peaceful for 47 years. They're the most prolific sponsor of terrorism around the world.”

Upon a potential toppling of the powers governing Iran since 1979, Wright said the ICC is ready to collaborate with like-minded organizations, such as Open Doors International and Global Christian Relief, to ship immediate humanitarian and Biblical supplies into the country.

“I've never seen such openness to cooperation from organizations that may be competing for the same funds,” said Wright, “and that's exciting.”

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Regarding the transformative dividends that could be in store by providing the people with physical or electronic copies of the Bible, Wright shared that ICC, and several organizations, believe “that for every one New Testament or one Bible, it reaches at least seven people because of the way they share it.”

Learn more about ACN International and ICC’s work by visiting acninternational.org and persecution.org, respectively.