LIbya's Civil War Shrinks Christian Communities.

Tripoli's Roman catholic bishop now focuses on keeping the power struggle between Moammar Gaddafi and anti government rebels out of his church. Its becoming increasingly difficult to stay neutral. After a recent mass, several Muslim women, all Gaddafi supporters, demanded that he call the vatican to get the pope to halt NATO airstrikes. The war has hit hard christian communities in Tripoli. Libya is an extremely muslim country, and missionary activity is not allowed, though clergy says the regimes has respected Christians freedom of worship. The Tripoli churches have called for an immediate cease-fire and that dialogue is the only way to end the two month old crisis. The population of 100,000 in the greater Tripoli area has dwindled to about 5,000. The greek orthodox community has shrunk from around 1,000 to fewer than a dozen. The union church is down from 1,200 to 250 parishioners.