The Church, within its denominations, worked hard to help the displaced families who were forcibly evicted from their homes in Mosul and Nineveh Plains, and pursued the possible solutions to ease the suffering of these families, similar to what political organizations and a number of Christian representatives in the parliament did.
We would like here to make it clear that this is not at the hand of the church or political parties nor the Iraqi government as a state. But it requires basically an international, regional and Iraqi cooperation for a complete liberalization of the Iraqi territory that will ultimately allow families to return to their homes.
The subject was discussed at the Chaldean Bishops meeting, held in Ankawa on the 5th of April 2016, and the importance of not involving the church and / or priests in regulating the migration of Christian groups abroad was emphasized. So, whoever get involved in such thing will be responsible for the consequences. Here, we must mention the possibility of having individuals and non-clerical groups who are misusing this tragic situation for economic, political and media interests.
The Patriarchate hopes that the Christians would not be put in a worse situation, facing the danger of gangs and the risk of sailing or travelling on the roads!
We as a church, respect the mindful and responsible decisions of the people and their choices to emigrate following the civil and legal ways that protect their lives.
We pray, may God put an end to the Iraqis’ tragedy and having their lands released as soon as possible, so the displaced can return to their homes with honor and dignity.