By Baghdadhope
“It’s a sign of hope that give us the courage to continue”. By these words Mgr. Jacques Isaac, Rector of Babel College, the only Christian Theological university in Iraq commented yesterday on the degree ceremony that took place at the Chaldean Cultural Centre in Ankawa.
The ceremony was attended by relatives and friends of the new 12 graduated, by Mgr. Isaac who directed it, by Mgr. Faraji P. Rahho, Chaldean Bishop of Mosul, by Mgr. Mikha P: Maqdassy, Chaldean Bishop of Al Qosh, by General Luigi Orsini representing the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affair in Erbil and by a representative of Mr. Sarkis Aghajan Mamendu, Finance Minister of Kurdish Regional Government on the territory of which Ankawa is.
The group of new graduated - 2 lay men, 1 nun and 8 seminarists – has been dedicated to the “Church Martyrs” how Mgr. Isaac reported clearly referring to the savage murder of Father Ragheed Aziz Kanni and the three subdiacons killed in Mosul last 3 of June, and to those of two teachers and one seminarist directly linked to Babel College in the last two years.
In his speech Mgr. Isaac recalled all the difficulties the faculty had to face in the last year, especially the forced transfer from its former seat in the area of Dora in Baghdad to Ankawa for the complete lack of securiy that was blocking all its activities. He also praised the efforts made by all the components of the faculty – teachers, clerks and students – not to loose the academic year and read a congratulation message sent by the Patriarch of Babylon of Chaldeans, Mar Emmanuel III Delly.
Proud and happy for the successful ending of this difficult academic year and trusting in “God’s projects that exist even if maybe we did not understand them” and in “the Providence that let us move the faculty and continue our work, and that maybe in the future will let us go back to Baghdad to open again the old seat without closing the new one in Ankawa” Mgr. Isaac answered to some questions by Baghdadhope.
By the mid of April Babel College in Dora was occupied by American soldiers without any permission by the Church that owns it. What about the request made by the Church to have the building back?
“Babel College is still occupied by Americans who transformed it into a military base and the requests made to have it back had no answer. On the other hand we fear that if the American soldiers leave the building – and the Chaldean Seminary nearby – it wil be occupied by Al Qaeda elements, the same who already took possession of the Chaldean Nunnery of the Sacred Heart in Dora.”
So Dora area is still dangerous…
“Yes. 1400 Christian families left Baghdad to go abroad, to the north or to other areas of the city. They are destroyed families who run away without nothing, with a destroyed past and an uncertain future. Just today a priest from Baghdad called us to seek for help for some of them. The Church makes what it can but it is not sufficient to repay for what they are suffering. Churches in Dora are closed, in Mar Yacoub Church, for example, the two guards, two brothers, have been killed, but also in other areas of the city the situation is bad. For 23 Chaldean Churches we have only 12 priests but the faithfuls, even if they are only few, try to attend the celebrations, searching from the priests and the prayers the comfort that it is so difficult to find in Baghdad.”
A lot of Christians fled to the north of the country, is it really safe?
“There are many problems in the north not controlled by the Kurdish Government. Mgr. Rahho, the Chaldean Bishop of Mosul, told today that half of the Christian population of the city already fled. Also little villages are not safe. According to the priests from Qaraqosh almost every day some people is kidnapped. Qaraqosh is a little village and who lives there and wants to study or work must go to Mosul, a very, very dangerous journey.”
What about Ankawa where Babel College has been moved?
“We are ok here, even if the thought of what our community is suffering prevent us from living serenely our life. But we must continue and Babel College represents the future for Iraqis of Christian faith. We already began the building of a new wing of the college. On the first floor that is already finished there wil be the library and some offices, on the second one, that will be finished in a couple of months, there will be four classrooms and a computer and internet center. We must not stop and surrender, even in these hard times. We must, we want, have trust. The Faculty Council has already chosen the sudy programmes for next academic year and in a few weeks the Students Guide will be published. Also the magazines I direct, , Nağm Al-Mashriq (Eastern Star) e Beit Nahrein (Mesopotamia) continue to be published and distributed in the churches and to the faithfuls.”
You talked about the library in the new Babel College wing, did you moved there all the books that were in Baghdad seat?
“No. Unfortunately those books are still in Dora and it is impossible to take them back by now. In April I went there to take some important documents and it was very difficult considering that it is controlled by American troops. For the library in Ankawa we are buying new books; just two days ago a priest came back from Beirut where he purchased some and another one sent us some from Rome. Also for the library, as for everything else, we need trust, patience and faith, even if - and it is something I was not used to tell before – Iraqi Christian community is living a dark period of its history, a period that I should define, as our Pariarch already did, of “persecution.”
“It’s a sign of hope that give us the courage to continue”. By these words Mgr. Jacques Isaac, Rector of Babel College, the only Christian Theological university in Iraq commented yesterday on the degree ceremony that took place at the Chaldean Cultural Centre in Ankawa.
The ceremony was attended by relatives and friends of the new 12 graduated, by Mgr. Isaac who directed it, by Mgr. Faraji P. Rahho, Chaldean Bishop of Mosul, by Mgr. Mikha P: Maqdassy, Chaldean Bishop of Al Qosh, by General Luigi Orsini representing the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affair in Erbil and by a representative of Mr. Sarkis Aghajan Mamendu, Finance Minister of Kurdish Regional Government on the territory of which Ankawa is.
The group of new graduated - 2 lay men, 1 nun and 8 seminarists – has been dedicated to the “Church Martyrs” how Mgr. Isaac reported clearly referring to the savage murder of Father Ragheed Aziz Kanni and the three subdiacons killed in Mosul last 3 of June, and to those of two teachers and one seminarist directly linked to Babel College in the last two years.
In his speech Mgr. Isaac recalled all the difficulties the faculty had to face in the last year, especially the forced transfer from its former seat in the area of Dora in Baghdad to Ankawa for the complete lack of securiy that was blocking all its activities. He also praised the efforts made by all the components of the faculty – teachers, clerks and students – not to loose the academic year and read a congratulation message sent by the Patriarch of Babylon of Chaldeans, Mar Emmanuel III Delly.
Proud and happy for the successful ending of this difficult academic year and trusting in “God’s projects that exist even if maybe we did not understand them” and in “the Providence that let us move the faculty and continue our work, and that maybe in the future will let us go back to Baghdad to open again the old seat without closing the new one in Ankawa” Mgr. Isaac answered to some questions by Baghdadhope.
By the mid of April Babel College in Dora was occupied by American soldiers without any permission by the Church that owns it. What about the request made by the Church to have the building back?
“Babel College is still occupied by Americans who transformed it into a military base and the requests made to have it back had no answer. On the other hand we fear that if the American soldiers leave the building – and the Chaldean Seminary nearby – it wil be occupied by Al Qaeda elements, the same who already took possession of the Chaldean Nunnery of the Sacred Heart in Dora.”
So Dora area is still dangerous…
“Yes. 1400 Christian families left Baghdad to go abroad, to the north or to other areas of the city. They are destroyed families who run away without nothing, with a destroyed past and an uncertain future. Just today a priest from Baghdad called us to seek for help for some of them. The Church makes what it can but it is not sufficient to repay for what they are suffering. Churches in Dora are closed, in Mar Yacoub Church, for example, the two guards, two brothers, have been killed, but also in other areas of the city the situation is bad. For 23 Chaldean Churches we have only 12 priests but the faithfuls, even if they are only few, try to attend the celebrations, searching from the priests and the prayers the comfort that it is so difficult to find in Baghdad.”
A lot of Christians fled to the north of the country, is it really safe?
“There are many problems in the north not controlled by the Kurdish Government. Mgr. Rahho, the Chaldean Bishop of Mosul, told today that half of the Christian population of the city already fled. Also little villages are not safe. According to the priests from Qaraqosh almost every day some people is kidnapped. Qaraqosh is a little village and who lives there and wants to study or work must go to Mosul, a very, very dangerous journey.”
What about Ankawa where Babel College has been moved?
“We are ok here, even if the thought of what our community is suffering prevent us from living serenely our life. But we must continue and Babel College represents the future for Iraqis of Christian faith. We already began the building of a new wing of the college. On the first floor that is already finished there wil be the library and some offices, on the second one, that will be finished in a couple of months, there will be four classrooms and a computer and internet center. We must not stop and surrender, even in these hard times. We must, we want, have trust. The Faculty Council has already chosen the sudy programmes for next academic year and in a few weeks the Students Guide will be published. Also the magazines I direct, , Nağm Al-Mashriq (Eastern Star) e Beit Nahrein (Mesopotamia) continue to be published and distributed in the churches and to the faithfuls.”
You talked about the library in the new Babel College wing, did you moved there all the books that were in Baghdad seat?
“No. Unfortunately those books are still in Dora and it is impossible to take them back by now. In April I went there to take some important documents and it was very difficult considering that it is controlled by American troops. For the library in Ankawa we are buying new books; just two days ago a priest came back from Beirut where he purchased some and another one sent us some from Rome. Also for the library, as for everything else, we need trust, patience and faith, even if - and it is something I was not used to tell before – Iraqi Christian community is living a dark period of its history, a period that I should define, as our Pariarch already did, of “persecution.”