Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Rus' called the persecution of Christians in the Middle East a 'genocide,' Interfax reports.

“The Christian world has never suffered what it does now. According to the number of the killed Christians, the persecutions in Russia were more cruel and large-scale. But in terms of the proportions – not absolute but relative figures – the happening in the Middle East can be called a genocide of Christian population,” the Patriarch said.  

He also expressed concern over the results of the active efforts of terrorists towards eliminating Christians. According to Patriarch Kirill, their annihilation “changes the balance and the nature of peoples living there [in the Middle East].”