By Baghdadhope*The threats against churches in Baghdad reported to SIR by Msgr. Warduni were confirmed to Baghdadhope by Father Douglas Al Bazi, parish priest of the church of Mar Eliya, who spoke of "many letters to the churches announcing attacks during Christmas celebrations. The level of security," explained Father Al Bazi "is quite high. The government troops are guarding the churches and closed all the roads leading to them. In addition to this the government appointed for every area of the city a Security Officer who, in case of attack in his area of responsibility, will pay in person, by imprisonment, the failure of the system."
What kind of Christmas will it be?
"Among all the adjectives I would say that depressing is the right one. Church leaders have called on Christians to keep a low profile, to moderate the celebrations. There are not only the letters of threats but also the concomitance of Christmas with the commemoration by the Shiites of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein * that stifle the city and contributes to create a sense of depression. The lights are switched off, almost all shops are closed, the climate of fear among Christians generalized "
Your church shares a wall with a Shiite mosque. Does this fact create particular problems?
"No. Not really. Our Shiite neighbors are experiencing a period of mourning in obedience to their tradition but there are no problems between us. Even since a couple of days ago the loudspeakers of the mosque that broadcast all day long the calls to prayers and that are orientated towards the church have been switched off. I don't know if thanks to a failure or to a will, but certainly my sleep is benefiting from this."
Your church was among the biggest in Baghdad before the great flight that involved the Christian community. What is the situation now?
"In the past the church of Mar Eliya counted 2500 families. Recently I made a count of the remaining ones: 250. There is about a hundred families we know nothing of. Admitting that they are still in Baghdad but that for different reasons they are no longer coming to the church we will count 350/400 families. Nothing compared to the past. And you must consider that the church of Mar Eliya can still count on a good percentage of young people, that the school makes the church "alive" for the presence of the children, the teachers and the staff working for it. There are parishes, instead, where as faithful there are only the elderly and the poor who have been unable to escape. A sad situation, indeed."
Father Al Bazi, your words leave no hope ...
"It hard to find hope. In the past I felt afraid, meaning feeling the fear of death to which I have been close several times. Now I say I am scared because I clearly see the attempt to make Christianity disappear from Iraq. It is not the disappearance or the death of an individual but of an entire community. Hope it's running out but we are strong and sometimes we find it in small signs. Yesterday, for example, we celebrated the upcoming Christmas with the children of the nursery school and in recent days we raised money among pupils' families for the Sisters of Mother Teresa of Calcutta who take care of disabled children. The little sign was the response of the children and their families. We collected more money than we expected. The proof that despite all the desire is still to build the future."
Father Al Bazi, in the School of Mar Eliya the majority of children are Muslim. Did they gave money for the nuns too?
"Sure. And the Muslim families gave more money than the Christian ones"
Maybe they have more money...?
"They are families who know, and someone wrote it to me, that the money will really go to the sisters who will make a good use in behalf of the poor disabled children they care of."
Then there is hope ...
"Hope is in the individual. What dishearten us, that gets us down, is to think to all Christian families who fled and who could be, if the situation does not change, the first stage of our total disappearance from our country."
* The Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, was killed in Karbala by the troops sent by the Umayyad Caliph Yazid I. Note by Baghdadhope
What kind of Christmas will it be?
"Among all the adjectives I would say that depressing is the right one. Church leaders have called on Christians to keep a low profile, to moderate the celebrations. There are not only the letters of threats but also the concomitance of Christmas with the commemoration by the Shiites of the martyrdom of Imam Hussein * that stifle the city and contributes to create a sense of depression. The lights are switched off, almost all shops are closed, the climate of fear among Christians generalized "
Your church shares a wall with a Shiite mosque. Does this fact create particular problems?
"No. Not really. Our Shiite neighbors are experiencing a period of mourning in obedience to their tradition but there are no problems between us. Even since a couple of days ago the loudspeakers of the mosque that broadcast all day long the calls to prayers and that are orientated towards the church have been switched off. I don't know if thanks to a failure or to a will, but certainly my sleep is benefiting from this."
Your church was among the biggest in Baghdad before the great flight that involved the Christian community. What is the situation now?
"In the past the church of Mar Eliya counted 2500 families. Recently I made a count of the remaining ones: 250. There is about a hundred families we know nothing of. Admitting that they are still in Baghdad but that for different reasons they are no longer coming to the church we will count 350/400 families. Nothing compared to the past. And you must consider that the church of Mar Eliya can still count on a good percentage of young people, that the school makes the church "alive" for the presence of the children, the teachers and the staff working for it. There are parishes, instead, where as faithful there are only the elderly and the poor who have been unable to escape. A sad situation, indeed."
Father Al Bazi, your words leave no hope ...
"It hard to find hope. In the past I felt afraid, meaning feeling the fear of death to which I have been close several times. Now I say I am scared because I clearly see the attempt to make Christianity disappear from Iraq. It is not the disappearance or the death of an individual but of an entire community. Hope it's running out but we are strong and sometimes we find it in small signs. Yesterday, for example, we celebrated the upcoming Christmas with the children of the nursery school and in recent days we raised money among pupils' families for the Sisters of Mother Teresa of Calcutta who take care of disabled children. The little sign was the response of the children and their families. We collected more money than we expected. The proof that despite all the desire is still to build the future."
Father Al Bazi, in the School of Mar Eliya the majority of children are Muslim. Did they gave money for the nuns too?
"Sure. And the Muslim families gave more money than the Christian ones"
Maybe they have more money...?
"They are families who know, and someone wrote it to me, that the money will really go to the sisters who will make a good use in behalf of the poor disabled children they care of."
Then there is hope ...
"Hope is in the individual. What dishearten us, that gets us down, is to think to all Christian families who fled and who could be, if the situation does not change, the first stage of our total disappearance from our country."
* The Imam Hussein, grandson of the Prophet Muhammad, was killed in Karbala by the troops sent by the Umayyad Caliph Yazid I. Note by Baghdadhope