In a message of hope to start off 2011, Pope Benedict XVI urged his Christian followers to stay strong in the face of persecution in the Middle East. Just hours after midnight on Saturday, a bomb in Egypt killed at least 21 Christian churchgoers as they left Mass. "In the face of the threatening tensions of the moment, especially in the face of discrimination… I again direct a pressing invitation not to yield to discouragement and resignation," the pope said. Christians have been steadily leaving the volatile region recently, causing the Vatican to worry that the pattern will discourage the wider community.
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