"La situazione sta peggiorando. Gridate con noi che i diritti umani sono calpestati da persone che parlano in nome di Dio ma che non sanno nulla di Lui che è Amore, mentre loro agiscono spinti dal rancore e dall'odio.
Gridate: Oh! Signore, abbi misericordia dell'Uomo."

Mons. Shleimun Warduni
Baghdad, 19 luglio 2014

31 maggio 2017

Prime Minister Orbán and Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Babylon conclude agreement on repairing the homes of Iraqi Christians


Photo: Gergely Botár/kormany.hu
In Budapest’s Parliament Building on Tuesday, Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and Chaldean Catholic Patriarch of Babylon Louis Raphaël I Sako concluded an agreement on Government funding for the repair of homes in Tesqopa, Iraq.
Before the official signing of the document, the Prime Minister’s Press Chief Bertalan Havasi told reporters:
“In accordance with the Government Decree on providing support to persecuted Christians in the Middle Eastern region, the Hungarian government is helping to ensure that Christian families can continue to live in the land of their birth and return to their homes.
“In line with this goal, the Hungarian government has decided to provide 580 million forints (EUR 1.9 million) in funding towards the repair of damaged homes in the city of Tesqopa.”
In March the Cabinet decided to provide 580 million forints in funding towards the repair of damaged homes in the Iraqi city, in the interests of supporting persecuted Christians in the Middle East.

A Mosul dopo il Daesh si torna a dire Messa

By Avvenire
Luigi Ginami*

Pubblichiamo una anticipazione di «Nasren» (Ed.Velar Marna), istant book scritto durante il viaggio dell’autore in Iraq. Una missione umanitaria per inaugurare delle aule di catechismo, ristrutturate dalla Fondazione Santina Onlus, ad Araden. In quei giorni, nel campo profughi di Dawdya, pure l’incontro con Nasren, yazida di 11 anni che racconta con gli occhi di una bimba l’irruzione dei terroristi del Daesh nel suo villaggio. Quello di seguito è un estratto dal capitolo «Mosul», scritto a poche centinaia di metri dal fronte.
 
Partiamo presto da Erbil. È venerdì, la strada è completamente libera. Arriviamo al primo dei numerosi check-point. Ivan parcheggia la grossa jeep. «Torno subito padre, ma per ogni evenienza sappi che qui nel cruscotto vi è una pistola!» Il cruscotto è lì che mi sfida: apro. È vero! «Tutto in ordine, quando hanno visto che tu eri un sacerdote ci hanno subito concesso il permesso ». Partiamo. Venire a Mosul? Tutti hanno sconsigliato! Perché? Perché? Perché? La domanda diventa ritmica mentre le prime immagini della città si presentano agli occhi. È un grande mercato. La macchina nera rallenta. Ivan prende la pistola. «Vedi questa gente? Loro non ti faranno nulla. Ma tra di loro, a qualche finestra potrebbe esserci un cecchino». Rimango senza parole. Piano piano la grossa vettura esce dal mercato. Ivan rimette la sicura alla pistola e la richiude nel cruscotto. 

Ora invece i militari non la devono vedere. Siamo nella parte sinistra della città, divisa in due dal Tigri. La prima chiesa che visitiamo ci sta davanti: la croce è divelta dal campanile. Una porta arrugginita si apre. Ivan mette l’arma sotto la camicia dietro la schiena e nuovamente mi spavento. Un uomo con il volto sorridente ed accogliente ci saluta. Salgo le scale sconnesse e visibilmente rovinate. Ma mentre avverto la furia di Daesh, dei piccoli bambini mi corrono incontro con dei grandi sorrisoni. Si avvicinano. Sollevò il più piccolino alla mia guancia e lui si accoccola comodo comodo e pacioso. La chiesa è pulita, ma vuota... Il bel marmo viene staccato con cura e messo in ordine per la vendita. «Padre dobbiamo andare», mi pressa Ivan. Dopo aver visitato la chiesa dedicata allo Spirito Santo, andiamo alla chiesa dedicata a San Giorgio: i militari, questa volta, non ci danno il permesso.
È una zona strategica. Regaliamo due bottiglie di acqua ai giovani militari al caldo dei 40 gradi e Ivan mi porta a vedere un’altra chiesa.

«Quando quel demonio del Daesh si è ritirato, ha lasciato cariche di dinamite nascoste. Basta urtare male una pietra che salta in aria tutto».
Entriamo: il pavimento è spoglio e liscio, una enorme lastra di cemento armato. Nessuna bomba può essere qui. «Bene padre tu aspetta qui, faccio un giro attorno per essere sicuro. Tu prepara per la Messa, celebreremo qui». Con un fazzolettino di carta pulisco l’altare dalla polvere, una lastra di cemento spogliata dal marmo, pongo sull’altare il mio caro ed inseparabile Vangelo aperto e pongo il pane ed il vino. Ma ci pensate? Gesù tornerà a Mosul. Forse è la prima Messa che si celebra qui dalla liberazione del Daesh. Un brivido ritorna prepotente, forse provocato dal rumore di un elicottero che si avvicina ed inizia a mitragliare. Se ne va, più lontano odo il rumore del conflitto a fuoco. E Gesù? Verrà qui tra poco... È la voce di Ivan ad interrompere il mio pensiero. «Padre qui non abbiamo molto tempo. Celebra bene la Messa con devozione e calma ma cerca di non essere troppo lungo...».

Prego per la città, per i cristiani, per Ivan, per i morti, per coloro che sono feriti o che stanno morendo proprio durante questo nuovo sacrificio di Gesù sulla croce. «Prendete e mangiate questo è il mio corpo, questo è il mio sangue». Mi inginocchio e mi fermo in adorazione. Da lontano qualcuno arriva. Istintivamente mi dico: devo proteggere questo tesoro prezioso che è la divina Eucaristia, male che vada subito mangio e bevo... Ivan mi dice in inglese stai calmo e soprattutto fermo. Lui si blocca e con voce calma e tranquilla saluta il giovane. Il giovane guarda incuriosito e chiede: «Ma state dicendo Messa?». Ivan risponde di sì e il ragazzo con un grande sorriso chiede: «Posso partecipare anche io? Sono cristiano. Sono un soldato dell’esercito iracheno». Avrà 22 o 23 anni, il mio forte abbraccio lo riempie di gioia e mi dice: «Abuna», padre. Mi viene in mente una frase bellissima di Gesù: Dove due o tre sono riuniti nel mio nome io sono in mezzo a loro! Lo benedico.
La Messa è finita. Sto mettendo via il Vangelo, quando Ivan mi porta ad una finestra, dove da lontano si vede una croce. «Si padre e l’ho portata io con altri tre amici musulmani. È alta tre metri e larga due, di legno, sulla cima di quella collina e ogni volta che vengo a Mosul, quando la guardo mi dà forza e coraggio». Lo guardo negli occhi. Che coraggiosa iniziativa, se ne vuoi portare un’altra in futuro... Ti darò una mano.

* Sacerdote, presidente Fondazione Santina Onlus

Istant book

«Nasren», di Luigi Ginami, con la prefazione di monsignor Nunzio Galantino, è il diario di un viaggio di solidarietà svolto dal 29 aprile al 7 maggio in Iraq per «seminare speranza, per raccogliere futuro» nelle terre devastate dal Daesh

30 maggio 2017

Hungary signs accord with archbishop to support Iraqi clinic

By Crux

Hungary’s government is donating $525,000 (145 million forints) to Saint Joseph’s Clinic in Erbil, Iraq, which provides services for mainly Christian refugees living in the city.
An agreement on the donation, meant to cover the clinic’s medical supplies for six months, was signed Monday by Hungarian Minister of Human Resources Zoltan Balog and Archbishop Bashar Warda, a Chaldean Catholic cleric in Erbil.
Warda said his archdiocese received 13,200 Christian families in August 2014 after they fled Mosul when the Islamic State group took control of the Iraqi city.
“Some families will not be able to go back, because their houses have been destroyed completely or burned,” Warda told The Associated Press. “They need some time before making their way back to these villages.”
Warda, who will meet Tuesday with Prime Minister Viktor Orban, said the donation “will be a big help” for the clinic, which provides free medicines to 3,100 people with chronic diseases.
The treatment of Christians in the Middle East was akin to “genocide, cleansing on a religious basis,” Balog said at the signing ceremony. “The Christian quarter (of Erbil) practically turned into a refugee camp.”
While Orban views the large number of Muslim migrants reaching Europe as a threat to the continent’s Christian values and culture, last year the government set up a deputy secretariat within Balog’s ministry to help persecuted Christians, especially in the Middle East.
In February, the agency said it gave $1.1 million each to Syria’s Orthodox and Catholic churches to assist the return of refugees to their homelands.

Christian church destroyed by Isis rebuilt by Muslim residents

By Metro.uk
Charles White

A church in a district once terrorised by so-called Islamic State has been restored with the help of Muslim neighbours.
Local residents were horrified after reports claimed Christians were still facing abuse.
Volunteers wanted to help rebuild the church to show that Iraq welcomes both Christians and Muslims.
They said they wanted to show that ‘Mosul is yours as it’s ours’ and ‘our differences are our strength’.
Iraq has one of the smallest, but oldest, Christian communities in the world but Isis oversaw the destruction of Iraqi churches, books and Christian spaces during their occupation of the city.
Mosul is set to be liberated completely by the end of next month, after two years of Islamist domination.
One of the areas occupied was al-Arabi in Mosul, where the Mar Georges monastery is located.
During the Isis occupation the Chaldean church, which is an Iraqi church in full communion with the Pope in Rome, was shot at by terrorists.
It was left in a ruined state after Kurdish and allied forces pushed Isis out of the district.
But the rebuilding effort this week was sparked when Muslims in the community were accused of harassing a Christian family, something which the volunteers said was a false rumour.
They decided to take matters into their own hands to improve community relations.
Photos shared on This Is Christian Iraq show how Muslim neighbours rushed to the church to clean the space and repair the holy rooms.
The group of inter-faith volunteers wanted to send a message to show they were united.

Photo by Mohammed Al-Zakaria
Photo by Mohammed Al-Zakaria

29 maggio 2017

Sacerdote irakeno: la solidarietà di AsiaNews contro le distruzioni dell’Isis


In un contesto geopolitico “molto caldo”, in cui le truppe irakene proseguono la loro avanzata nella città vecchia di Mosul e l’emergenza umanitaria si fa sempre più grave, diventa sempre più “importante e significativa” l’opera di assistenza e aiuto ai profughi. Lo Stato islamico è “una realtà di morte, di distruzione, di vergogna” contro il quale “il mondo cristiano si unisce” in una iniziativa comune di solidarietà. È quanto racconta in una lettera inviata ad AsiaNews p. Samir Youssef, parroco della diocesi di Amadiya (Kurdistan), che cura 3500 famiglie di profughi cristiani, musulmani, yazidi che hanno abbandonato le loro case e le loro terre per sfuggire ai jihadisti.
Il sacerdote è in prima linea sin dall’estate del 2014, da quando è iniziata l’emergenza, e vuole ringraziare la nostra agenzia non solo per la campagna di aiuti, ma anche per “il lavoro di cultura e di informazione” a beneficio anche della popolazione irakena, compresi i profughi. “Grazie a voi - afferma p. Samir - la parola di verità e la realtà della Chiesa si rendono testimonianza ovunque”. Di seguito, prosegue, vi invio “una lettera di ringraziamento, con il report finanziario, riguardante l’ultima donazione ricevuta prima della Pasqua, a marzo”. 
Le donazioni possono essere fatte secondo le indicazioni della campagna “Adotta un cristiano di Mosul”.  Le foto presenti in questa galleria sono la testimonianza visiva di come vengono usate le offerte della campagna. Ecco, di seguito, la lettera inviata da p. Samir: 

Carissimo p. Bernardo Cervellera, miei carissimi amici di AsiaNews, 
Innanzitutto prego il Signore che stiate bene. Desidero continuare a ringraziarti p. Bernardo, e per tuo tramite tutti i nostri amici di AsiaNews, per gli aiuti che ci avete mandato durante la festa di Nawroz e per il tempo Pasquale (oltre 20mila euro) per aiutare i profughi cristiani, musulmani e yazidi che sono in difficoltà. 
Voi, con il vostro amore concreto, ci fate sentire una grande gioia e ci fate capire che non siamo soli, ma che siamo un unico corpo. La Chiesa locale senza il vostro sostegno non avrebbe potuto andare avanti, ci avete davvero aiutato ad andare avanti nel nostro impegno a favore degli sfollati. 
La Chiesa cattolica in generale, e la Chiesa italiana in modo particolare, hanno fatto molto per la Chiesa d’Iraq, e questo fatto storico sarà ricordato per sempre. Il terrorismo che oggi colpisce purtroppo in tutto il mondo, ci fa pensare e chiedere: dove siamo, dove è la libertà che ci libera da questo male? 
Io credo che una risposta arrivi dal Padre Nostro, perché quando crediamo che abbiamo un Padre celeste, e lavoriamo per santificare il suo nome con la nostra fede e la nostra carità, rendiamo visibile il suo regno. Attraverso il suo amore, cerchiamo di compiere la missione che egli ci indica; solo così non ci mancherà il pane quotidiano, e il suo amore paterno non ci lascerà e sempre ci perdonerà. Molto riceviamo in cambio, nel dare questo pane quotidiano e questo perdono agli altri, a quanti il Signore metterà sulla nostra vita e sul nostro cammino. 
Ho voluto condividere questi pensieri con voi, perché voi con il vostro affetto mi avete fatto conoscere e vivere in profondità la grandezza di questo “pane quotidiano” che è per me e per tutta l’umanità: il vero Gesù Cristo, il vero pane quotidiano. 
Se l’umanità non si nutre della parola di Gesù come mangia il pane, non troverà mai la pace. Solo quando vivremo come figli del Padre Nostro, avremo la vera Pace, e quando non siamo così rischiamo di cadere nella tentazione. 
Infine, prego il Signore di benedire tutti voi.
Di seguito in questa pagina potrete vedere come sono stati usati i soldi della donazione e una gallery fotografica che testimonia la distribuzione di cibo e aiuti.
P. Samir Youssef
(Parroco della diocesi di Zakho e Amadiya)

Report finanziario: 
  • 11.400 dollari per cesti alimentari distribuiti a 250 famiglie 
  • 5.000 dollari in contanti per 50 famiglie 
  • 2.750 dollari in vestiti, scarpe 
  • 1.450 dollari in mobilia
  • 600 dollari per un generatore
  • 9200 dollari in medicine
  • Il totale è di 21.400 dollari

International Conference on Victims of Ethnic and Religious Violence in the Middle East


The Chaldean Archbishops of Basra and the south, Habib Jajou and of Kirkuk, Yousif Toma participated in the International Conference on Victims of Ethnic and Religious Violence in the Middle East held in Madrid, Spain on Wednesday, 24 May. They participated in the conference on behalf of His Beatitude Mar Luis R. Sako. Dozens of political leaders from 59 countries and 16 UN organizations came to adopt an action in support of the Iraqi and Syria Christians, Yazidi and other minorities.
The conference was organized by the Spanish and Jordanian foreign ministries. It was the second version of the Paris conference for the same goal in 2015.
Archbishop Jajou thanked the Western Church groups, UN organizations and all NGOs for their supportive programmes and projects ‘But people needs more humanitarian, legal and political undertakings’ he added.
He highlighted several vital points, namely the bad situation for the displaced people in Nineveh Plain; the dangers posed by ISIS, where he said "because of the extremist mentality of several political and religious leaders ‘we have to monitor the incitement and discrimination and move forward with social resilience and protection of the national fabric of different religious and cultures’. He criticized the poor role of the international community in countering the irrational propaganda of the extremists. He also called for to establishment of an international law to criminalise who finance or encourage terrorism.
He emphasized refusal to use terms like ‘minority or ethnic’ which isolate the communities with lesser rights. He suggested the title ‘multicultural society’ instead of ‘society with culture diversity’.
He, furthermore, confirmed the need to re-draft the Iraqi constitution especially, Article 2 and the Personal Status Law, Article 26, and called for educating the new generation, through reforming the education curriculums in schools; to work for people’s equality and protect the dignity of the human person, namely woman's and children's rights.

25 maggio 2017

Meeting with US Vice President Mike Pence

His Holiness Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, His Beatitude Syriac Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and All the East Mor Ignatius Youssef III Younan, and His Beatitude Chaldean Patriarch of Babylon Mar Louis Rafael I Sako, met His Excellency US Vice President Mike Pence at the White House in Washington DC.
The meeting was organized and attended by His Eminence Archbishop of Vienna Christoph Cardinal Schonborn and Dr. Christian Von Geusau, President of the International Catholic Legislators Network.
During the meeting, His Holiness and their Beatitudes discussed with His Excellency the Vice President the general situation in the Middle East as well as the Christian presence and what they are suffering of due to the wars and conflicts in the region. They also discussed the persecutions and expulsion that they are facing in their homeland, especially in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon. The three patriarchs confirms that it is extremely important to preserve the Christian presence in their homeland.
Vice President Pence showed sympathy with the cause of the Christians in the Middle East and promised to work to have peace and dialogue in the East.
Their Holiness and Beatitudes commended the outcome of the meeting of Pope Francis and the US President Donald Trump in the Vatican where they confirmed the need for peace especially in the Middle East and the need to protect religious minorities in the region.
His Holiness, their Beatitudes and His Eminence the Cardinal met with officials in the US State Department as well as Congressmen, activists and NGOs concerned about the situation of Christians in the Middle East. They discussed with them the ways to preserve the presence of Christians in their homeland. His Holiness also asked the help of the US officials in the case of the return of the abducted Archbishops of Aleppo Boulos Yaziji and Mor Gregorius Youhanna Ibrahim.
Their Holiness and Beatitudes were the guests of His Excellency Mgr. Christophe Pierre, Apostolic Nuncio for the USA.
The meetings were also attended by His Eminence Archbishop Mor Dionysius John Kawak, Syriac Orthodox Patriarchal Vicar for the Archdiocese of the Eastern USA, His Excellency Mar Francis Kallabat, Chaldean Archbishop of the Archdiocese of St. Thomas in the Eastern USA, Very Rev. Raban Joseph Bali, Syriac Orthodox Patriarchal Secretary and Media Office Director, Rev. Fr. Habib Mrad, Syriac Catholic Patriarchal Secretary, and Mr. Manuel Baghdi, Advisor of HE Cardinal Schonborn for the Immigrants Affairs.

10 anni dall'assassinio di Padre Ragheed Ganni a Mosul ACS lo ricorda con un libro


Giovedì 1° giugno alle ore 11 presso la sede di Aiuto alla Chiesa che Soffre (Piazza San Calisto 16, IV piano palazzina a destra) sarà presentato il volume Un sacerdote cattolico nello Stato Islamico. La storia di padre Ragheed Ganni. Sarà presente l’autore, il sacerdote iracheno padre Rebwar Audish Basa.
A dieci anni dalla scomparsa di padre Ragheed Ganni, sacerdote iracheno ucciso il 3 giugno 2007 a Mosul, Aiuto alla Chiesa che Soffre lo ricorda con un libro, scritto dal suo amico padre Rebwar Audish Basa.
Un volume che racconta la vita di padre Ganni e include suoi scritti e testimonianze inedite. «La splendida testimonianza di fede di padre Ragheed deve rimanere presente nella memoria della Chiesa», scrive nella prefazione il cardinale Fernando Filoni, prefetto della Congregazione per l’Evangelizzazione dei Popoli, che ha incontrato il sacerdote durante il proprio mandato come nunzio apostolico in Iraq.
Nato a Karemles, nella Piana di Ninive nel 1972, nel 1996 padre Ragheed si trasferì a Roma per studiare teologia ecumenica – grazie ad una borsa di studio di ACS – presso l’Università di San Tommaso d’Aquino (Angelicum). Al termine dei suoi studi, nel 2003, in Iraq era già scoppiata la guerra, ma padre Ganni decise ugualmente di ritornare nel suo paese. Un’esperienza terrificante, racconterà lui stesso, quella di servire Dio «in un Iraq dove ogni giorno la violenza e il “terrorismo” privano decine di esseri umani della loro vita».
Da segretario del vescovo di Mosul, monsignor Faraj Rahho e parroco della Chiesa dello Spirito Santo, padre Ganni si misurò più volte con la crudeltà degli islamisti e assistette alle violenze sistematiche ai danni dei cristiani in Iraq. Nel 2004 il sacerdote martire si salvò miracolosamente dall’attentato all’arcivescovado di Mosul. Poi i numerosi attacchi alla sua chiesa e le tante minacce. Fino al 3 giugno del 2007. «Ti avevo detto di chiudere la chiesa, perché non l’hai chiusa?», disse il suo assassino. «Non posso chiudere la casa di Dio», rispose il sacerdote prima di essere ucciso da una raffica di proiettili.
Da allora purtroppo l’Iraq ha continuato ad essere una terra di persecuzione e la barbarie islamista ha raggiunto il proprio apice con l’invasione della Piana di Ninive da parte di ISIS nel 2014. Invasione che non ha risparmiato neanche la tomba del sacerdote martire, sepolto nel suo villaggio natale, Karemles.
Una delegazione di ACS, in visita nei villaggi cristiani della Piana di Ninive dopo la liberazione dallo Stato Islamico, ha ritrovato la pietra tombale, sulla quale era stata riassunta la vita di padre Ragheed, in pezzi. «Apparentemente – scrive padre Rebwar Basa nel volume – quanto scritto non è piaciuto ai terroristi dell’ISIS. In questo libro noi raccontiamo, quello che loro hanno provato a cancellare per sempre».

23 maggio 2017

Seminarian who once saved the Eucharist from ISIS returns as a priest


Martin Baani was just 24 years old when he risked his life as a seminarian to rescue the Blessed Sacrament from the imminent invasion of Islamic State terrorists in his hometown.
Now, he is returning to his native village as a priest, ready to serve the people through the Eucharist.
On August 6, 2014, Baani received a call from a friend who warned that a nearby village had fallen into the hands of ISIS, and that his hometown of Karamlesh would be next. 
Baani promptly headed to the San Addai church and took the Blessed Sacrament, to prevent the jihadists from desecrating it. That day, he fled in a car along with his pastor, Fr. Thabet and three other priests.
“I was the last one to leave Karamlesh, with the Blessed Sacrament in my hands,” he told the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need.
Despite threats from ISIS, Baani chose to stay in Iraq instead of fleeing with his family to the United States. He continued his studies at Saint Peter's Seminary in Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan.
In September 2016, Baani was ordained a priest along with six other men.
Around 500 people attended the ordination, which was presided over by the Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, Louis Raphael Sako. 
A few months before his ordination, Baani told Aid to the Church in Need: “Every day I go to the refugee camps to accompany the families. We are Christian refugees. ISIS wants to eliminate Christianity from Iraq but I have decided to stay. I love Jesus and I don't want our history to disappear.”
Almost a year later, following the liberation of the villages of the Plain of Nineveh from ISIS control, Fr. Banni confirmed his decision to stay in Iraq in order to “serve my people and our Church.”
“Now I am happy to celebrate Holy Mass in Iraq,” he said.
Aid to the Church in Need has currently planned the reconstruction of about 13,000 Christian homes that were destroyed by ISIS.
Several weeks ago, the foundation held an “olive tree ceremony” where they delivered an olive plant to the homeowners of 105 Christian homes in the villages of Bartella, Karmalesh and Qaraqosh as a symbol of peace and reconciliation.

Arab Christians voice hope, concern over Trump's speech to Muslim leaders


Arab Christians voiced hope and concern over U.S. President Donald Trump's first foreign visit and his speech in Saudi Arabia to the Muslim world, in which he urged a peace-focused Islam as a counter movement to extremism.
"I hope that President Trump will remind us that we have to think about youth and the future of the Middle East and its countries," Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Yousif Mirkis of Kirkuk, Iraq, told Catholic News Service. He spoke on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum meeting on the Jordanian shores of the Dead Sea May 19-21 as Trump traveled to neighboring Saudi Arabia.
Youth make up the majority of most Middle Eastern countries, and they face a bleak socio-economic future, with youth unemployment hovering around 30 percent. Mirkis cited it as one of the drivers laying the groundwork for extremist violence — frustration over little socio-economic prospects.
"Differences are a part of our culture. We cannot resolve the problem of differences, but dealing with these differences in a meaningful way can make our lives more peaceful, like here in Jordan," he said, also pointing to the region's rich mosaic of ethnic and religious diversity.
Over the past three years, his parishes have aided some 500,000 Iraqi Christian and other religious minorities fleeing persecution of so-called Islamic State and sectarian violence that has engulfed Mosul and the Ninevah Plain.
He said Iraq has been on the front line of the Islamist extremism and terror that has become "very dangerous for the world." Yet he expressed hope for reconciliation to prevail in his war-torn homeland.
"We are so happy to see so many people from different countries here," he said. "They are together like brothers and sisters. We can and want to do that in Syria and Iraq," Mirkis said.
A high-profile speech by Trump from the home of Islam's two holiest sites urged Muslim unity with the U.S. to fight Islamist militants and terrorism.
"If we do not stand in uniform condemnation of this killing, then not only will we be judged by our people, not only will we be judged by history, we will be judged by God," he said, addressing 55 leaders from predominantly Muslim countries gathered in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.
"This is not a battle between different faiths, different sects or different civilizations," Trump said in an about-face from his campaign rhetoric. "This is a battle between barbaric criminals who seek to obliterate human life and decent people, all in the name of religion, (and) people that want to protect life and want to protect their religion. This is a battle between good and evil."
Trump said the U.S. is prepared to stand with those leaders in the fight against extremists, but those countries must take the lead. He urged them to drive extremists "out of your places of worship. Drive them out of your community. Drive them out of your holy land."
He urged the leaders to "honestly confront the crisis of Islamic extremism and the Islamists and Islamic terror of all kinds."
"It means standing together against the murder of innocent Muslims, the oppression of women, the persecution of Jews, and the slaughter of Christians. Religious leaders must make this absolutely clear — barbarism will deliver you no glory. ... And political leaders must speak out to affirm the same idea. Heroes don't kill innocents; they save them," he added.
Trump's speech attempted to set the U.S. and himself on new footing with the 1.6 billion Muslims worldwide after he frequently criticized Muslims on the campaign trail last year and tried to ban many from entering the United States.
Father Rafic Greiche, spokesman for the Egyptian bishops, welcomed Trump's remarks, calling them "very, very frank," especially in light of several recent bombings, beheadings and other attacks claimed by the so-called Islamic State on Egyptian Christians and churches.
"It's not a normal political speech. The Muslim leaders had to hear these words at last, especially when he said, 'You have to get the terrorists out,'" the priest told Catholic News Service by phone from Cairo.
"This struck me most because there were leaders sitting in the meeting from countries that patronize terrorists or give them support," he said, underscoring the frustration and vulnerability many Egyptian Christians feel in the wake of deadly terror attacks. However, Greiche said he believes Trump and Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi share similar views on confronting the menace.
In their speeches at the Arab Islamic American Summit, both Trump and Saudi King Salman rebuked the Sunni Muslim kingdom's regional rival, Shiite-majority Iran, as a terror backer. The U.S. president called on the Muslim world to help isolate Iran.
But Arab Christian businessman Michael Morcos, commenting on Trump's visit, saw a "marriage of convenience" between Washington and Riyadh over their $110 billion arms deal, which preceded the speeches. Morcos said the renewed partnership can endanger the overall peace in the Middle East.
"Both sides need each other. Money talks, so the Saudis are about to commit a significant amount of money to the U.S., so it will build some bridges," Morcos told CNS. "But it will wind up in isolation of other Muslim countries, including Iran, and that will fuel war in the region."
Saudi Arabia and Iran are already engaged in proxy wars in Syria, Yemen and Iraq to destructive effect.
"The Sunni and Shiite parts of the Arab world are separating, and the gap is becoming wider. I think Trump's actions will widen the gap," Morcos said.
Some analysts believe that by making lucrative arms deals with Saudi Arabia, Washington will find it hard to pressure Riyadh to reform its own brand of fundamentalist Islam, known as Wahhabism. In 2013, the European Parliament published a report citing Wahhabism as a main cause of global terrorism.
Meanwhile, the son of the late Israeli peacemaker Shimon Peres expressed hope that Trump would be "committed to a (Mideast peace) process that will move peace forward, realize and implement it by working very closely with Israel and the Palestinians, so it will be long-lasting."
Chemi Peres, chairman of the Peres Center for Peace, spoke to CNS on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum ahead of Trump's second stop in Jerusalem.
"There is a sense of urgency on both sides," Peres said. "Everybody understands the parameters of the solution. What we need now is the determination on all sides to reach a final agreement."

Armageddon in Iraq? US Pastor Details ISIS Destruction of Christian City

By The Christian Post
Stoyan Zaimov
 
With churches destroyed and desecrated, crosses distorted, and Jesus statues beheaded by ISIS, it looks as if "Armageddon" happened in Qaraqosh, said a U.S. pastor who recently visited the formerly thriving Christian city in Iraq's Nineveh Plain.
"One would have thought Armageddon had already taken place," Pastor William Devlin of Infinity Bible Church in the Bronx, New York, and president of REDEEM, which provides funds to persecuted people across the world, told The Christian Post late last week.
Devlin, who saw firsthand the devastation earlier this month, recounted:
"Stately stone homes, thousands of them burned by the Islamic State beginning in August 2014 and continuing through October 2016; every business gutted, its metal drop down doors, each littered with Arabic graffiti -- 'We are the sons of Muhammad; Christians and Jews are the sons of apes, monkeys and pigs;' every cross and crucifix distorted, bent or ravaged into a dystopic mess.
"Every church in this city -- Syriac Orthodox, Chaldean Catholic, Assyrian Church of the East -- had their wooden pews piled into a heap and set on fire. Blackened soot coated the entire ceilings and inside of these formerly beautifully maintained houses of worship; church bell towers blown up and toppled, church courtyards transformed into firing ranges, used for training of Islamic militants, sporting now headless mannequins filled with bullet holes."
Additionally, stone reliefs of martyred saints on walls had been "hammered to oblivion."
The pastor, who has been to Qaraqosh twice now, told CP that that the city, which once had the country's largest Christian population of 50-60,000 people, has been left without water and electricity, and called it a "modern-day ghost town."
"The destruction is total -- in the sense of buildings, businesses, homes and churches -- but the destruction is far wider in the hearts, souls and minds of those Christians who fled this city on August 6, 2014," he commented.
Devlin has visited Iraq multiple times now, helping provide relief for displaced Iraqis, and partnering with a network of underground rescuers that are assisting women and girls to escape the clutches of the radical terror group.
Speaking with former Qarakosh residents who now reside in Erbil, the capital of Kurdistan, he recalled their words:
"There is no future for Christians in Iraq; should we go back to our burned homes, our decimated businesses, our destroyed churches? How will we start a new life back there when there is no guarantee of safety for our children, for our families?"
Though statistics vary, reports all point to the dramatic exodus of Christians from Iraq.
Iraqi Christian lawmaker Josef Sleve told Anadolu Agency earlier in May that over the past 14 years, some 1.5 million Christians have emigrated to other countries, with somewhere between 500,000 and 850,000 followers of Christ remaining.
Devlin said that the Nineveh Plain, which hosted the largest part of the country's Christian population for almost two millennia, now only has 200,000 Christians.
"Armageddon has arrived for our Nineveh Plain and Iraqi sisters and brothers," the pastor stated.
Still, there have been reports showing that some former Qarakosh residents have decided to return to the ravaged city to assess the damage, and figure out if rebuilding their lives there is possible.
The Atlantic article revealed that a handful of families moved back to the city, despite security concerns still high over Islamic State and its battle for control of nearby Mosul.
Organizations such as Aid to the Church in Need and others have been helping in rebuilding efforts across the Nineveh Plain, Fox News reported earlier this month. Some 13,000 houses are to be built in a venture that will cost close to $250 million.
"For a long time people have been saying that Iraqi Christians don't want to return home," said Robert Nicholson, executive director of The Philos Project.
"Having spoken to many of them, both inside Iraq and around the world, I can tell you that's absolutely untrue. Many of them would love to come back, and some of them actually are."
Devlin told CP that many other Christians are deciding not to return, however, because there is no promise of security to protect them.
"Many former residents of Qaraqosh I have personally spoken with, are distrustful of KRG-Kurdistan Regional Government and particularly the Peshmerga of protecting them, establishing societal infrastructure [such as] water, sewer, electricity," he said of people's political concerns.
"Some feel that KRG, the Kurds want the land of the Nineveh Plain, to take it from the Christians. Even though there are now Christian militias -- NPU, NPF -- they could not stand up to Peshmerga if there was a battle for the ultimate control of Qaraqosh and other Christian cities in the Nineveh Plain."
Devlin noted that for some, the emotional and psychological question of how many of their Muslim neighbors are either open or secret sympathizers of IS also remains a big factor.
"There have been multiple reports of Christian and Yazidi homes/businesses being pilfered/ransacked by Muslim neighbors and even the Peshmerga," the pastor explained.
"The fear factor among the Christians returning to their ancient homeland is high due to the above reasons."

Ninive, rifugiati cristiani fra l’attesa del rientro e l’appello per una visita del Papa


La nostra identità appartiene “alla nostra terra” e solo quando “saremo tornati nelle nostre case” potremo dire di essere di nuovo felici e pacificati. Nel frattempo “i nostri figli partecipano alle attività del campo”, che servono a risvegliare e a mantenere viva la voglia di tornare, che "nutrono l’attesa” del rientro a Karamles. 
È quanto racconta ad AsiaNews Naseem Kuder Sulaiman, 47enne ingegnere originario della cittadina della piana di Ninive occupata nell’estate del 2014 dallo Stato islamico (SI). In attesa del completamente dei lavori per poter ritornare “nella mia casa, nella mia terra”, egli lancia un appello a papa Francesco perché “una sua visita in Iraq vorrebbe dire fortificare la Chiesa qui, sentire di non essere dimenticati”.
Naseem è sposato con la 42enne Wafaa Quruaqos Toma, casalinga. La coppia ha quattro figli: Sulaiman, di 15 anni, studente alle scuole medie, San, 12 anni, anch’egli alle medie, Sizan, 7 anni, che frequenta le elementari e la piccola Rahaf, di 3 anni, che va all’asilo. Essi hanno lasciato la loro casa e i loro beni nella notte del 6 agosto 2014, quanto le milizie jihadiste dopo aver conquistato Mosul (a giugno) hanno esteso il loro controllo su gran parte della piana di Ninive.
Da tempo vivono in un complesso affittato dalla Chiesa irakena a Erbil e hanno potuto superare difficoltà e ristrettezze grazie all’opera di don Paolo Thabit Mekko, 41enne sacerdote caldeo di Mosul, responsabile del campo profughi “Occhi di Erbil”, alla periferia della capitale del Kurdistan irakeno. Nell’area hanno trovato nel tempo rifugio centinaia di migliaia di cristiani, musulmani e yazidi in seguito all’ascesa dello SI. La struttura ospita 140 famiglie, circa 700 persone in tutto, con 46 mini-appartamenti e un’area per la raccolta e distribuzione di aiuti. A questo si sono aggiunti un asilo nido, una scuola materna e una secondaria.
L’offensiva sferrata nell’ottobre scorso dall’esercito irakeno, sostenuto da milizie curde, ha permesso di liberare i villaggi e le cittadine della piana; ora la battaglia si concentra sul settore occidentale di Mosul, dove permane una sacca di resistenza jihadista. Di contro, a Karamles come in molte altre cittadine di Ninive è iniziata la lenta e faticosa opera di ricostruzione, testimoniata anche dalla celebrazione della messa delle Palme nella chiesa devastata dall’Isis.
Nelle scorse settimane la Chiesa caldea ha redatto un bilancio dei danni causati dai miliziani fondamentalisti sunniti: 241 case bruciate, 95 abitazioni distrutte, danni ad altre 431 case oggetto di ruberie e saccheggi. Ultimato il lavoro di documentazione, i vertici cristiani hanno avviato la ricostruzione partendo dalle case che avevano subito i danni minori. Le risorse sono scarse, mancano i fondi e le infrastrutture scarseggiano. Per questo nessuna famiglia ha potuto fare ancora un ritorno stabile a Karamles, anche se la speranza è quella di poterlo fare a breve.
“L’attesa è difficile, stancante, snervante - racconta Naseem Kuder Sulaiman - la fuga è stata pesante e la situazione di stallo non aiuta”. “Viviamo tutti in una stanza - prosegue l’uomo - e condividiamo l’appartamento con un’altra famiglia. Quindi c’è una pressione su di noi, piccola o grande, come si può ben immaginare”. Il pieno recupero dell’identità, prosegue, passa anche attraverso “il ritorno nelle nostre case”. In un secondo momento si affronterà poi il problema della convivenza con i musulmani, sebbene il radicalismo islamico abbia “cambiato molte cose e la sfiducia verso i musulmani è aumentata”. “Speriamo - aggiunge - di trovare una intenzione sincera da parte loro, che vi sia un reale desiderio di convivere senza discriminazione, mettendo al bando gli atteggiamenti aggressivi” del passato.
Per il futuro il desiderio è quello del rientro di tutti i profughi nelle loro case, la pace e la ricostruzione di infrastrutture e servizi. Oggi si continua a vivere, e a sopravvivere, grazie all’aiuto della Chiesa “senza la quale non ce l’avremmo mai fatta. La Chiesa ha compiuto un’opera grande in questo arco di tempo”. “Nonostante le sofferenze - sottolinea Naseem - e proprio in virtù di ciò che abbiamo patito, la nostra fede si è fatta più salda e forte. Questo è ciò che conta per noi”. Ai cristiani in Occidente e nel mondo l’appello perché “si muovano attivamente, come già fatto in passato, per contribuire a questa nuova tappa della ricostruzione, perché i cristiani possano continuare a restare qui in Iraq”.
Da ultimo, il desiderio di una visita di papa Francesco in queste terre segnate dal terrorismo e dalla violenza. “Noi cristiani orientali - afferma - abbiamo una grande stima dei capi religiosi. Lanciamo un appello al Santo Padre: Benedetto chi viene nel nome del Signore, perché una sua presenza qui avrebbe effetti positivi”. “Noi vi aspettiamo - conclude - perché siete nostri fratelli. Continueremo a restare qua, se voi sarete accanto a noi”.

22 maggio 2017

Iraq's Christians demand reconstruction of religious sites

By Al Monitor
Wassim Bassem

A new era has started in the northern Ninevah Plains, known for its ethnic and religious diversity, following the expulsion of the Islamic State (IS). IS took over the area in June 2014 and forced the Christians living there — estimated at more than 100,000 — to abandon their farms and towns and head to the neighboring Kurdistan Region and other areas in the country, or to leave Iraq altogether.
On May 16, the heads of the Christian churches told the media of their “concerns over the possible return of terrorism and demanded that “the areas of the Ninevah Plains be protected by the United Nations and enjoy autonomy.” This fear, however, has not prevented many Christians from returning to their farms and cities and practicing religious rites in their monasteries and churches. During the Easter mass April 15 at the Mar Mattai Syriac Orthodox Monastery in Ninevah, Christians prayed for the safe return of the displaced to their homes and the spread of peace.
IS reduced several monasteries and churches to ruins, and Christians in the Ninevah Plains are demanding that plans be made for their reconstruction, especially for the monastery of Mar Behnam. It dates to the fourth century; IS occupied it in 2014 and bombed it in 2015. They are also calling for the reconstruction of the Mar Mattai Monastery, founded more than 1,600 years ago.
Yonadam Kanna, a Christian member of parliament, told Al-Monitor, “IS besieged the Mar Mattai Monastery in 2014 and prevented people from getting to it. So the first thing I did after the liberation of the Ninevah Plains was to restore the road leading to this monastery through the slopes of Mount Maklub, on top of which the monastery is built. [The monastery] extends over about 1 kilometer [0.6 miles] at a height of 2,400 meters [7,874 feet] above sea level."
Kanna said, “The security forces along with some volunteers have started to remove the words engraved by IS on the walls of the monastery of Mar Behnam and other churches inciting the killing and displacement of Christians. The monks' rooms are being renovated after IS turned them into rooms for the detention of civilians. Crosses have also been raised [on the grounds].”
He added, “IS destroyed about 40% of the Mar Behnam Monastery; this calls for government support and funding to turn these sites again into places of worship and religious tourism centers. The government needs to develop a strategic program to restore Mar Behnam and Mar Mattai in conjunction with the return of visitors.”
However, Faleh al-Shammari, the director of antiquities in Ninevah, told Al-Monitor, “It is still premature to think of a strategic reconstruction project due to the war and the financial crisis.”
Still, he said, “Local volunteer teams have begun to remove the debris in the monasteries and churches and started to paint the facades of the Mar Behnam Monastery. The Directorate of Antiquities is preparing a special program to redevelop Mar Mattai Monastery, which is a historic site of interest to humanity and is frequented by visitors from all over the world.”
Shammari said, “Ecclesiastical organizations from Europe visited Mar Mattai Monastery this month and expressed their willingness to participate in the restoration of Christian monuments in the Ninevah Plains. In addition, during a UNESCO meeting last month in France held in the presence of the Iraqi minister of culture, an agreement was reached over the reconstruction of Mar Behnam and Mar Mattai.”
Shammari said, “The main objective is to have tourists from all over the world return to visiting these places like they used to before the IS invasion of Ninevah.”
Christian Bet-Nahrain Democratic Party leader Yousif Yacoub told Al-Monitor, “The government should swiftly reconstruct Mar Behnam Monastery in Qarqosh, which had been turned into a training camp by IS. It should also reconstruct the churches of Mosul that were turned into IS headquarters and the Mar Mattai Monastery, which was besieged after the historical road leading to it was threatened. These places have become a national symbol and not only a religious one; victory over IS will only be completed once these symbols are reconstructed.”
Yacoub said, “The Christian institutions in Europe have to fund the reconstruction of these churches to maintain the Christian presence in the Middle East.”
As for the role of the Christian Waqf Foundation, Media Director Hani Kasto told Al-Monitor, “The waqf formed committees to study the reconstruction projects of the Mar Mattai and Mar Behnam monasteries."
He added, "Before the start of the reconstruction process, it is the duty of the government to restore confidence in the hearts of the Christians in their homeland and state by focusing on strengthening security in the Ninevah Plains and reassuring the population that the state is strong and that terrorist and extremist organizations will no longer return to the region.”
Yacoub said, “The security authorities reinforced security guard posts at the entrance to the Mar Mattai Monastery and reinforced security measures around Mar Behnam and the other churches. There are international promises to rebuild the churches in Ninevah. These promises remain within the context of symbolic support rather than real reconstruction projects.”
So long as the extremist ideas planted by IS remain rooted in the behavior and beliefs of many people in the Ninevah Plains, the situation of the Christians in the area will be of concern, even amid tightened security measures.
Before the reconstruction of the monasteries, churches and places of worship in the Ninevah Plains, cultural and intellectual rehabilitation is required, so that a culture of moderation, coexistence and tolerance can emerge.