Former Ambassador to the Holy See Ray Flynn tells
Newsmax TV that it's no secret that the Islamic State (ISIS) is waging a war against Christians.
"I've felt this way for a long period of time," FIynn, who is also the former mayor of Boston, told J.D. Hayworth and Miranda Khan on "America's Forum" Tuesday.
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"I've traveled throughout the Middle East and throughout the world. I've witnessed this, I've surmised this developing," he explained. "There's no secret here.
"They're saying that they want a purely religious state and anybody else in that state who doesn't adhere . . . to their beliefs, values and principles, they're going to kill them and behead them," he said.
"You have these radical Islamic terrorists, well-armed, beheading people, torturing Christians, and you have defenseless, unarmed Christians unable to do anything about it," he added.
Flynn contends that it's important to understand that the threat Christians in the Middle East are facing isn't "going to be solved by Democrats or Republicans or even the president — this is going to be solved when people in those countries decide that they're going to take back their country.
"Our job is to support them, train them and let them defend themselves," he tells Newsmax.
Following the beheading of the 21
Egyptian Coptic Christians in Libya, ISIS militants vowed they will "conquer Rome."
According to the former ambassador to the Holy See, it's not surprising that the terrorists are mentioning Rome, the home of the Vatican and the Roman Catholic Church.
"They're mentioning the Vatican because it's the center of religion in the world," he explained.
"It is a big target, there's no doubt about it, but I don't think that comes as a surprise to anybody," he said.
However, Flynn does say that it raises some concern about Italy's borders, which he says are "almost free open borders."
"It's one of the easiest countries in the world to get into, whether you're coming in from the Adriatic, the Mediterranean or from northern Italy," he explained.
"You have to do something about immigration," he contends. "Allowing people freely coming into the country, disguising themselves as tourists or pilgrims — that has to end."
"The Vatican would be one of the most high profiled areas in the world," he added. "I would take it very seriously."
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