Vice President Mike Pence promised Middle East faith leaders that the United States would help them in their hour of need at the In Defense of Christians Solidarity Dinner held yesterday in Washington, D.C.

In his remarks, the vice president said that the very place where Christianity started is under “unprecedented assault. … Many of the Christian communities that first embraced the message of Christ are today the targets of unspeakable acts of violence and atrocity.”

He continued:

In Egypt, we see the bombing of churches during Palm Sunday celebrations — a day of hope transformed into a day of horror.

In Iraq, we see monasteries demolished, priests and monks beheaded, the two-millennia-old Christian tradition in Mosul clinging for survival.

In Syria, we see ancient communities burned to the ground, believers tortured for confessing Christ, and women and children sold into slavery.

Vice President Pence said that the Trump administration is committed to calling the atrocious acts what they are: genocide of Christians. “[U]nder the leadership of President Donald Trump be assured this administration calls these vicious actions by ISIS what they truly are — they are genocide and they are crimes against humanity. And we will call them what they are.”

Pence described a “mass exodus” of Christians in the Middle East “unrivaled since the days of Moses.” Syria’s Christian population has shrunk from 1.25 million to 500,000 and Iraq’s Christian population has dropped by 80 percent, he said. “But tonight, I came to tell you: Help is on the way.”

Unlike the Obama administration, said Pence, the Trump administration will not work through the United Nations, which largely funnels its donations through non-Christian organizations that do not reach persecuted Christians.

Our fellow Christians and all who are persecuted in the Middle East should not have to rely on multinational institutions when America can help them directly. And tonight, it is my privilege to announce that President Trump has ordered the State Department to stop funding ineffective relief efforts at the United Nations. And from this day forward, America will provide support directly to persecuted communities through USAID.

We will no longer rely on the United Nations alone to assist persecuted Christians and minorities in the wake of genocide and the atrocities of terrorist groups. The United States will work hand-in-hand from this day forward with faith-based groups and private organizations to help those who are persecuted for their faith.

More than simply providing aid, Pence assured the faith leaders that the United States would work to ensure that Middle East governments “respect the religious freedom of all of their citizens.” He promised that President Trump was committed to helping those persecuted to “reclaim their lands, return to their homes, rebuild their lives, and replant the roots in their ancient place of birth.” “I have faith in those courageous believers in those ancient lands that they will persevere through this crucible of persecution, that they will again find their way home with renewed hope and strength.”

Pence will be going to the Middle East in December to speak to the faith leaders there. Help, said Pence, can’t wait any longer. “This is the moment. Now is the time. And America will support these people in their hour of need.”

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