Swedish priests start crowdfunding campaign to support persecuted Christians

The priests who started the Mitt Kors (My Cross) movement are now crowdfunding a book that would feature pictures and stories of people expressing their support for persecuted Christians.

Mitt Kors was started by Annika Borg, Johanna Andersson and Helena Edlund after the murder of French priest Fr. Jacques Hamel inside his church in Normandy. In the group's Facebook page, people are encouraged to share images of crosses as well as personal stories as a way to show their support for suffering Christians.

The founders compiled into some of the testimonies and images that wer shared by the people. The goal for its Kickstarter campaign is to collect 250,000 Swedish krona (around $29,000).

"Mitt Kors was not merely a place for photos, but also a place where people could tell their stories – about their crosses, their faith and their journeys," said the founders in the group's crowdfunding page.

"About crosses given as gifts or passed down through generations. About crosses as tokens of sacred places and special encounters. About crosses formed by nature over billions of years, or crosses faintly visible in cloud formations. About crosses lost in the search for refuge and crosses that are all that remain of lives long gone," they continued.

According to the priests, many people from different backgrounds have joined the group including Jews, Muslims, atheists and secular humanists.

The founders want the book to become "another room of hope" that would help raise awareness about people who are persecuted for their beliefs. They added that part of the book's earnings would be donated to projects that offer support for persecuted Christians.

The movement has reportedly been criticized by Church leadership as well as people outside the Church claiming that it encourages anti-Islamic sentiments.

The founders responded to the criticisms by accusing Church leaders of not standing up for Christians due to misguided political correctness. 

In an interview with Christian Today, Borg stated, "The Church has taken the strange position that if they point out the fact that Christians are eradicated in the Middle East, they automatically take a stand against somebody else."