By Aid to the Church in Need/Australia
Posted by Project of the Week on 1/3/2011
The Christians of Iraq are living in constant fear. Every day they face the threat of bomb attacks, murder and abduction. One Iraqi group, affiliated to the Al Qaeda terrorist network, has recently declared all Christians in the Middle East to be "legitimate targets" of its attacks. For most Christians it has long since become all but impossible to find any kind of regular work, since they daily face the threat of death. And by now the attacks are no longer simply confined to churches, which have at least a measure of protection, but are deliberately aimed at the private homes of Christians.
"Armed groups are going into neighbourhoods where Christians live and indiscriminately killing anyone they come across", says Monsignor Philip Najim, the representative of the Chaldean Catholic Church at the Holy See. "These are cold-blooded murderers who deliberately carry out their deeds in broad daylight in front of dozens of eyewitnesses, as though they want to show people that they can act with impunity and control the city". Generally, it is only the "major" attacks, with many victims, that are reported by the international media, but the list of sufferings that Christians in Iraq have to endure is a long one.
Most of the more recent attacks have been in the northern city of Mosul. The town is dominated by Sunni Muslims, and even Christians are subject to the sharia law. Christian women are forced to wear headscarves in public and men and women are segregated on public transport. Attacks on Christians are a regular occurrence.
Syrian Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan, has appealed in a letter to Prime Minister Noury al-Maliki. In it he writes, "No human conscience can accept the lack of security in Mosul, where it has become legal to murder innocent and defenceless human beings. We are astonished at the inactivity of government officials and the attempts to justify the situation. We can only draw the conclusion from this that they are favouring the process of emptying Mosul of the Christian inhabitants who have lived there for centuries." As recently as the middle of January, a young Christian girl was abducted by armed men, and just the day before, a Christian doctor was shot at in the hospital where he works.
But long before these recent acts of violence, experts had already warned that Iraq was facing one of the cruelest persecutions of Christians in recent times. Many have left the country, and many more want to do so, but this is a last resort, since most people would prefer to remain if only they could see a secure future for themselves and their families. And so the Iraqi bishops continue to appeal to the Western world to help the Christians of Iraq, so that they can stay on in this country, where they have ancient roots and which they still regard as their own. The Christians are a part of Iraq, they constantly remind us.
And of course we must do everything in our power to enable the Christian Churches to remain in Iraq and preach the gospel, as they have done for centuries - for Christianity was present in today’s Iraq long before Islam, which was spread there by military conquest in the Seventh Century. At that time Christians were still the majority of the population. And Mesopotamia, today's Iraq, likewise played an important role in the Old Testament, being identified with the Paradise of the account in Genesis, and the Flood in Noah's time. And Abraham too came from the region, from Ur of the Chaldes.
But many Christians still refuse to be discouraged or intimidated. The parishes are lively, with youth groups, catechetical sessions for adults and young people, Sunday school for the children - the pastoral activities are increasing in fact, and numbers of worshippers are high.
Especially in the Mar Bolus (St Paul’s) parish in Mosul, parish life is flourishing, for the Church is easy to reach and is in a secure place. There are over 1,200 families in the parish and they play an active part in parish life. But the church and parish centre are very much in need of renovation, and so Bishop Amel Shamaon Nona, the Chaldean Bishop of Mosul, has turned to the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (CAN) for help. He writes, "We want to thank you and all our benefactors for your generous support and ceaseless prayers, which are helping us to bring the word of God and and nourish his suffering people with it."
ACN has promised a grant of over $33,000, so that this vibrant parish can remain a place of hope and joy for the Christians in Mosul, a place where they can meet God.
To help the work of Aid to the Church in Need, please contact the Australian office of ACN on (02) 9679-1929. e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org or write to Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148.
Web: www.aidtochurch.org
Posted by Project of the Week on 1/3/2011
The Christians of Iraq are living in constant fear. Every day they face the threat of bomb attacks, murder and abduction. One Iraqi group, affiliated to the Al Qaeda terrorist network, has recently declared all Christians in the Middle East to be "legitimate targets" of its attacks. For most Christians it has long since become all but impossible to find any kind of regular work, since they daily face the threat of death. And by now the attacks are no longer simply confined to churches, which have at least a measure of protection, but are deliberately aimed at the private homes of Christians.
"Armed groups are going into neighbourhoods where Christians live and indiscriminately killing anyone they come across", says Monsignor Philip Najim, the representative of the Chaldean Catholic Church at the Holy See. "These are cold-blooded murderers who deliberately carry out their deeds in broad daylight in front of dozens of eyewitnesses, as though they want to show people that they can act with impunity and control the city". Generally, it is only the "major" attacks, with many victims, that are reported by the international media, but the list of sufferings that Christians in Iraq have to endure is a long one.
Most of the more recent attacks have been in the northern city of Mosul. The town is dominated by Sunni Muslims, and even Christians are subject to the sharia law. Christian women are forced to wear headscarves in public and men and women are segregated on public transport. Attacks on Christians are a regular occurrence.
Syrian Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan, has appealed in a letter to Prime Minister Noury al-Maliki. In it he writes, "No human conscience can accept the lack of security in Mosul, where it has become legal to murder innocent and defenceless human beings. We are astonished at the inactivity of government officials and the attempts to justify the situation. We can only draw the conclusion from this that they are favouring the process of emptying Mosul of the Christian inhabitants who have lived there for centuries." As recently as the middle of January, a young Christian girl was abducted by armed men, and just the day before, a Christian doctor was shot at in the hospital where he works.
But long before these recent acts of violence, experts had already warned that Iraq was facing one of the cruelest persecutions of Christians in recent times. Many have left the country, and many more want to do so, but this is a last resort, since most people would prefer to remain if only they could see a secure future for themselves and their families. And so the Iraqi bishops continue to appeal to the Western world to help the Christians of Iraq, so that they can stay on in this country, where they have ancient roots and which they still regard as their own. The Christians are a part of Iraq, they constantly remind us.
And of course we must do everything in our power to enable the Christian Churches to remain in Iraq and preach the gospel, as they have done for centuries - for Christianity was present in today’s Iraq long before Islam, which was spread there by military conquest in the Seventh Century. At that time Christians were still the majority of the population. And Mesopotamia, today's Iraq, likewise played an important role in the Old Testament, being identified with the Paradise of the account in Genesis, and the Flood in Noah's time. And Abraham too came from the region, from Ur of the Chaldes.
But many Christians still refuse to be discouraged or intimidated. The parishes are lively, with youth groups, catechetical sessions for adults and young people, Sunday school for the children - the pastoral activities are increasing in fact, and numbers of worshippers are high.
Especially in the Mar Bolus (St Paul’s) parish in Mosul, parish life is flourishing, for the Church is easy to reach and is in a secure place. There are over 1,200 families in the parish and they play an active part in parish life. But the church and parish centre are very much in need of renovation, and so Bishop Amel Shamaon Nona, the Chaldean Bishop of Mosul, has turned to the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (CAN) for help. He writes, "We want to thank you and all our benefactors for your generous support and ceaseless prayers, which are helping us to bring the word of God and and nourish his suffering people with it."
ACN has promised a grant of over $33,000, so that this vibrant parish can remain a place of hope and joy for the Christians in Mosul, a place where they can meet God.
To help the work of Aid to the Church in Need, please contact the Australian office of ACN on (02) 9679-1929. e-mail: info@aidtochurch.org or write to Aid to the Church in Need PO Box 6245 Blacktown DC NSW 2148.
Web: www.aidtochurch.org