ROME – Pope Francis on Thursday met with Carl Anderson, Supreme Knight of the Knights of Columbus, who presented the pope with a $1.6 million donation and also discussed his organization’s efforts on behalf of persecuted Christians in the Middle East.

The Knights of Columbus have played a lead role in raising consciousness about the realities of anti-Christian violence around the world. Among other things, a report prepared by the Knights was instrumental in triggering a finding from the U.S. State Department in March 2016 that Christians, Yazidis and other minorities are the victims of an ISIS-led genocide in Iraq and Syria.

The Knights of Columbus, the largest Catholic fraternal organization in the world, are also the primary partner of Crux.   Continue reading →