Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East: Thousands gather to celebrate consecration of new bishop

By Fairfield City Champion
Chris Boulous

Photo by Andrew Mamo

St Hurmizd's Cathedral in Greenfield Park was the site of a major milestone for the Assyrian community on Sunday.

Prelates of the Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East gathered to consecrate Reverend Archdeacon Narsai Youkhanis, the bishop-elect for the Church's diocese of Western Europe to be based in London.

The Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East in Iraq, His Holiness Mar Gewargis III Sliwa was joined by eight other archbishops and bishops from across the world for the consecration.

Thousands of parishioners and members of local council and parliament attended the official service in the morning.

The church held a celebratory dinner at Edessa Reception in the evening for the newly consecrated bishop, who will be known as His Grace Mar Awraham Youkhanis.

The new bishop, who has been a priest for nine years doing youth work in the local community, will make his way to London in late June to start his work in the church for the Western Europe diocese.

Deacon Ramen Youkhanis of the Assyrian Church of the East said: "It was a wonderful and joyous day, though bittersweet as we'll miss him but he has a greater calling in Europe. The Lord is with him, and so we know he'll do great things for the glory of the Church."

The prelates present for the consecration were:

• His Eminence Mar Meelis Zaia AM, Metropolitan of Australia, New Zealand and Lebanon.
• His Grace Mar Awa Royel, Bishop of California.
• His Grace Mar Youkhanan Yousip, Bishop of India.
• His Grace Mar Awgin Kuriakose, Bishop of India.
• His Grace Mar Narsai Benjamin, Bishop of Iran.
• His Grace Mar Paulus Benjamin, Bishop of Eastern USA.
• His Grace Mar Abrs Youkhanan, Bishop of Erbil and Patriarchal Vicar.
• His Grace Mar Benyamin Elya, Bishop of Victoria and New Zealand.

Christianity in Iraq 'will never die' insists Archbishop of Mosul on visit to Lyon

By Euronews
Sami Fradi

The Archbishop of Mosul has insisted Christianity in Iraq "will not and will never die", as he spoke to Euronews about the difficulties the religious minority in the country are facing.

After the defeat of so-called Islamic State (ISIS) in Mosul dozens of Iraqi Christian families — who fled their country amid the violence a few years ago — are returning.

But not to their destroyed homes in Mosul.

Najib Mikhael Moussa, who was appointed Archbishop of Mosul by Pope Francis last year, said there is an international responsibility to protect minorities in the region.

Moussa has spent years preserving Iraq's Christian heritage and escaped to Iraqi Kurdistan with many priceless manuscripts as ISIS militants swept the north of the country.

In Lyon, Najib Mikhael Moussa met with Euronews, where he expounded the importance of peace and understanding between different faiths and cultures.

“There is an international responsibility to save those minorities, and protect them from being persecuted," he said.

"You can worship a stone (whatever you believe in), but you mustn't kill me with it (do anybody worship as he pleases). How it comes to mind that a child who is seven years old, accuses his colleague of being an infidel? How does this child know about infidelity?”

He spoke about the reality of Mosul and the fate of Christians of Iraq — about how the majority who fled the violence are not returning.

“There is only 10% returning from abroad or intending to return, they say: 'We will return if there is security and opportunity for work, but the situation seems to fall short with their expectations'.”

“More than 30% migrate to Europe and Australia, but few of them are returning”.

“Most Christians in Iraq live in the Nineveh plain, in Baghdad and Kurdistan, there are only 30 Christian families who returned to Mosul”.

Click on the title of the post to be readdessed to the video of the interview to the Chaldean Archbishop of Mosul 

Cardinal: Save Christian communities in Iraq

By The Catholic Universe

The leader of Catholics in England and Wales has issued an urgent call to rebuild persecuted Christian communities in Iraq and other minorities pushed to the brink of extinction.

In a statement released today, Thursday 30th May, Cardinal Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster, said: “The need to reconstruct towns and villages [in Iraq’s Nineveh Plains] destroyed by Daesh and rebuild trust in that region is pressing.”

Highlighting how the presence of Christians in Nineveh dates back almost 2,000 years, the cardinal said: “We are united in prayer and support for the Christians and other minorities in that region as they seek to rebuild their lives.”

The Cardinal’s message followed his meeting last week with Iraq’s Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Erbil, Bashar Warda, who visited London at the invitation of Catholic charity Aid to the Church Need, which has provided key emergency and pastoral help for persecuted Christians in the region.

During his London visit, Archbishop Warda asked Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt for UK aid for persecuted Christians in Iraq and called on the British Government to urge Iraq to safeguard the presence of minorities in Iraq whose numbers have fallen drastically.

Reflecting on his meeting with Archbishop Warda, Cardinal Nichols went on describe his visit to Iraq four years ago just after invading Daesh militants forced entire communities in Nineveh and nearby Mosul to flee in fear of their lives.

The cardinal, who is President of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England & Wales, states: “Since my visit to Iraq in 2015, when Archbishop Warda hosted us and we visited numerous refugee camps across Erbil, the plight of persecuted Christians and other minorities in those ancient lands has been of particular concern.”

From a pre-2003 total of 1.5 million, Iraq’s Christian population has declined rapidly, raising fears for the community’s survival, amid declarations of a genocide by Daesh against minorities in the region.

Archbishop Warda thanked the Cardinal and other bishops who have visited Iraq in support of the Christian community there. He said: “My greatest thanks to Cardinal Nichols for his deep passion, prayers, wisdom for the persecuted Iraqi minorities. His guidance since our darkest hours has helped me immensely and given me much needed strength to fight for our continued existence in our ancient land.”

The urgent need to help Christians wanting to stay in Iraq was spelt out by Archbishop Warda who, during his London visit last week, gave testimony to the Foreign Secretary’s review into the persecution of Christians and spoke in Parliament at an event organised by ACN.

For displaced Christians and others arriving in Erbil and elsewhere, the charity provided food, shelter, medicine and schooling.

After the communities began returning home following the expulsion of Daesh, ACN began rebuilding homes, convents, churches and other structures.

Nearly half of the families forced to leave Nineveh in 2014 are now back in the region.

Kurdistan Region: Christianity’s 21st century Coenaculum

By Rudaw
Ano Jawhar Abdoka

With the fall of Saddam’s regime in Baghdad in 2003, around 2 million Christians lived in Iraq — nearly 1.1 million in Baghdad alone. In 2004, terrorists, armed militias, and organized criminal gangs started targeting Christians, spreading misinformation that the Christians had helped the so-called "Crusader invaders".
They disregarded the fact that the Christians of Iraq are the original citizens of Mesopotamia, the descendants of the great civilizations of Babylon and Assyria, the descendants of Hammurabi, Ashurbanipal, Esarhaddon, Shamiram, Nebuchadnezzar, and Sargon.
According to the ‘Iraqi Human Right Organization in USA’, more than 1,350 Christians were assassinated and killed in the non-Kurdish governorates of Iraq between 2003 and 2014. Thousands were kidnapped and tortured—and only released once they agreed to pay massive ransoms. More than 35,000 Christian properties, houses, and businesses were appropriated and sold without consent. Clergymen, bishops, and priests were also killed, kidnapped, and humiliated, and more than 150 churches were attacked. Christian students and workers were persecuted and harassed on a daily basis, with discrimination particularly severe in Mosul and Baghdad.As a result of this persecution, the vast majority of Christians fled the country entirely, while a significant proportion moved to the stable, tolerant, and secure region of Kurdistan.

Barzani ordered: The doors are wide open…

The Kurdistan Region of today was historically the land of the Chaldean Assyrian Syriac people. Kurdistan is considered one of the first and foremost ancient Christian centers on Earth. In the first century of Christianity, Erbil, then known as Erba-Eillo or Hediab, named its first bishop, Fqeeda, in 99 A.D — proving that Kurdistan embraced and continues to embrace, one of the world’s oldest Christian communities.
Following the targeting of Christians across the rest of Iraq, tens of thousands of Christian families decided to join their Christian brethren in Kurdistan and start a new life in their ancestral lands.
The first waves of Christian families were internally displaced in the Kurdistan Region from 2004–2006, after a string of attacks on several churches in Baghdad and Mosul, as well as on individual Christians. Masoud Barzani, then president of the Kurdistan Region, declared the Region was officially ready to embrace Christians and other minorities.
Kurdistan Region Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani began a campaign to rebuild and reconstruct ancient Christian villages and towns in Kurdistan. He called for new arrivals to be employed in KRG institutions, resulting in thousands of newly arrived Christians becoming government employees with stable sources of income.
Additionally, thousands of Christian families were granted plots of land to build houses on. These initiatives provided enough impetus to encourage many Christians to make the brave decision to stay in Iraq, instead of seeking refuge elsewhere. Perhaps the most important element of life in the Kurdistan Region for Christians is its stability and security.
If you ask any Christian in Kurdistan how the Peshmerga treat them at checkpoints, they will tell you that as soon as the security officer distinguishes you as a Christian, even from the Cross on your chest or hanging on your car mirror, they are met with warm, welcoming greetings. On every Christmas or Easter evening, you will witness the Peshmerga protecting churches at prayer time. As such, not a single attack has been recorded against Christians and their churches in the Kurdistan Region.

Nineveh Plains, the tragedy of ISIS, and the surprise of the armed militia
When ISIS invaded Christian towns and villages in Mosul and the Nineveh Plains, more than 150,000 Christians fled to Kurdistan. Supported by churches, the KRG, and the international community, Christian IDPs lived in rented houses and camps, holding out for the liberation of their homeland for more than three years.The IDPs started returning home from the beginning of 2017 – but an unpleasant surprise awaited them. Christians witnessed the theft of their territory in the Nineveh Plains by the Shiite militia known as the Popular Mobilization Forces (PMF) during the vacuum of government authority that came immediately after the liberation from ISIS.
The PMF stayed put, controlling the Nineveh Plain territories and starting a systematic and violent wave of demographic change that pushed the Christians out of their territories, resulting in the return of only 35 percent of Christian IDPs. The rest either fled the country entirely, or decided to settle in the Kurdistan Region.
The Region became a refuge for the Christians of the Nineveh Plains who are still yet to decide whether to return to their villages because of the unstable security situation; they represent 40-50% of the Nineveh Plains population.

Recintate e chiuse le chiese di Mosul per evitare che diventino discariche

By Baghdadhope*

In un'intervista ad Ankawa.com, che riporta la notizia, Safa Hanna Safo, responsabile del dipartimento di ingegneria per l'ufficio governativo di Mosul che si occupa di gestire le proprietà immobiliari delle chiese cristiane e delle altre religioni in Iraq, (Waqf) ha dichiarato che il suo dipartimento ha iniziato i lavori di restauro della Cattedrale di San Ephrem e del Monastero di San Giorgio in collaborazione con il dipartimento di ingegneria dell'Università di Mosul, e grazie ai fondi stanziati al proposito dal Dipartimento di Stato americano attraverso un progetto curato dall'Università della Pennsylvania.
Il dipartimento del Waqf che l'ingegnere Safo dirige partecipa anche con regolarità alle riunioni che si tengono al fine di rendere operative le decisioni prese dall'UNESCO nel corso della conferenza internazionale "Revive the Spirit of Mosul" svoltasi lo scorso anno a Parigi. Riunioni cui partecipano anche rappresentanti del dipartimento di ingegneria dell'Università di Mosul, del Waqf per la comunità sunnita e dell'Ispettorato archeologico di Ninive.          

Safa Hanna Safo ha anche aggiunto che il suo ufficio ha completato i lavori di recinzione e chiusura della maggior parte delle chiese della città. Lavori resisi necessari dal fatto che le chiese erano diventate per il vicinato depositi di immondizia.
Questi lavori si sono svolti nella maggior parte dei casi nella parte destra della città ma hanno coinvolto anche chiese situate a sinistra del fiume che la attraversa.

La notizia riguardante le chiese recintate e chiuse è un forte colpo al tentativo di riportare la normalità nella città di Mosul sconvolta da tre anni di dominio dell'ISIS, normalità che dovrebbe veder tornare a viverci anche i suoi abitanti cristiani. L'ISIS ha saccheggiato, bruciato, distrutto e profanato le chiese. Gli abitanti di Mosul che le stanno usando come discariche certo non stanno mostrando rispetto per i luoghi di culto cristiani.     

Iraqi Christianity May Soon Be Persecuted to Its End, Archbishop Warns

By The Tablet

Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Iraq is warning that Christianity in his country is close to disappearing.
“One of the oldest Churches, if not the oldest Church in the world, is perilously close to extinction. Those of us who remain must be ready to face martyrdom,” Archbishop Warda, a Chaldean Catholic cleric who’s archbishop of Erbil in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, said in a recent address in London to Christian British lawmakers. The picture for Christianity is mixed in the Middle East.

In February, Pope Francis celebrated a Mass in the United Arab Emirates that drew 135,000 migrant Catholics. In Saudi Arabia, the first Christian Mass was allowed this past December.

But Christians in Iraq have faced more than 1,4000 years of religious persecution. The long-standing abuse is culminating in a rapid decline, signalling a possible end to Catholicism in the majority-Muslim nation, BBC News reported on its website on May 23.

Since the United States invaded the country in 2003 to oust then-dictator Saddam Hussein, Archbishop Warda has seen the Christian community decline from 1.5 million members to 250,000 now. He attributes the drop to the presence of ISIS in Iraq, He cited one ISIS attack in 2014 that resulted in the displacement of more than 125,000 Christians. “Our tormentors confiscated our present,” he said in London, according to the BBC report, “while seeking to wipe out our history and destroy our future. In Iraq there is no redress for those who have lost properties, homes and businesses. Tens of thousands of Christians have nothing to show for their life’s work, for generations of work, in places where their families have lived, maybe, for thousands of years.”

While jihadists have continued to be expelled from cities in the Middle East, in the process Christian churches, monasteries and homes have been targeted and destroyed, driving families out of Iraq in droves.

Meanwhile, Sunni and Shiite Muslims continue to fight, with more jihadists hiding out throughout the country, leaving little hope for Christians in Iraq. “Friends, we may be facing our end in the land of our ancestors,” Archbishop Warda said in his London address. “We acknowledge this. In our end, the entire world faces a moment of truth.”

Iraq & UK: "Save us from disappearing" Archbishop asks Foreign Secretary

By Aid to the Church in Need (UK)
John Pontifex

An Iraqi Church leader has met UK Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt and called on the British Government to provide urgent help to prevent persecuted minority faith groups from dying out in their ancient homelands.

At meetings in London yesterday (Tuesday, 21^st May 2019), Catholic Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil appealed to the UK Government to provide direct aid to Christians and others who have suffered genocide in Iraq.

The Archbishop, who also met Foreign Office Minister Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, went on to ask the UK to apply diplomatic pressure to the Government of Iraq to improve security and end institutionalised discrimination against Christians and other minorities.

Later that day, at a meeting in the House of Commons organised by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, the archbishop said UK “engagement” was vital if his people are to recover from “one of the darkest moments in our long history”.

He thanked the Mr Hunt for conducting a global review into the persecution of Christians, saying he was “shocked and delighted” when he heard the news about the initiative, which he described as “unprecedented”.

Christians in Iraq numbered more than 1.5 million before 2003 and latest reports say that, following the Daesh (ISIS) genocide in 2014-17, Christians are now down to well below 150,000.

Archbishop Warda said that, during their occupation of ancient Christian villages in the Nineveh plains, Daesh militants came close to destroying “the beating heart of our community”.

He said that, with notable exception of Hungary, Western governments had failed to match words of sympathy with action and reported slow progress in the task of rebuilding schools and medical care, and declining security.

In the meeting, which was co-chaired by MPs Chris Green and Mike Kane, Archbishop Warda said: “Rebuilding infrastructure is urgently needed but the Government in Iraq has said it has no money. They have told us ‘You will have to rely on your friends’. But this surely should be the task of government.”

He said that, with most governments failing to help, his community had been largely reliant on support from Church organisations, praising ACN.

He said: “When Daesh invaded, our people left with nothing. But thanks be to God and thanks to ACN they were able to survive.
“The help of ACN and other charities – through prayers and generous gifts – have reminded us that we have not been forgotten. This help has made a huge impact.”

ACN has helped rebuild 2,000 homes in the Nineveh Plains and provided food, shelter and schooling for displaced Christians

L'allarme del Cardinale Sako: "In Europa c'è Cristianofobia"

By Inside Over

Marco Gombacci

Abbiamo incontrato a Bruxelles il cardinale Louis Raphaël I Sako, Patriarca di Babilonia dei Caldei e presidente dell’Assemblea dei vescovi cattolici d’Iraq. Nominato cardinale da Papa Francesco nel maggio 2018, si trovava nella capitale belga per incontrare i vertici delle istituzioni europee per sottoporre alla loro attenzione la difficile situazione dei cristiani iracheni tutt’ora vittime di discriminazioni e persecuzioni.

Come è la situazione dei cristiani iracheni al giorno d’oggi? Si possono vedere segnali di un ritorno alla vita normale?

Rispetto ad un anno fa la situazione sta migliorando, specialmente nella Piana di Ninive (l’area a maggioranza cristiana nel nord dell’Iraq, ndr). Circa la metà della popolazione è ritornata nei loro villaggi ma il resto dei cristiani sta aspettando la ricostruzione delle loro case e vivono ancora ad Erbil (Kurdistan iracheno) sotto il protettorato della Chiesa cattolica caldea e con l’aiuto delle associazioni misericordiose come Aiuto alla Chiesa che Soffre e la Caritas. Pochissimi governi ci stanno aiutando nel nostro tentativo di ricostruire abitazioni, strade, reinstallare l’elettricità pubblica, rifornire la zona con acqua potabile e soprattutto creare posti di lavoro per i giovani cristiano-iracheni. Abbiamo il timore che senza lavoro, i giovani siano i primi costretti a migrare, lasciando così la loro terra.

Nonostante questo lento ritorno alla normalità, i cristiani continuano ad essere discriminati e questo non è più accettabile. L’Europa ha impiegato troppo tempo a capire che è nel suo interesse far si che i cristiani non disappaiano dall’Iraq. Noi viviamo in queste terre da millenni e abbiamo imparato come parlare e convivere con i musulmani. Siamo cittadini iracheni a tutti gli effetti. Chiediamo all’Unione europea di aiutarci a fare pressioni sullo Stato iracheno per eliminare dalla carta d’identità la dicitura “cristiano” poiché vogliamo la separazione tra Stato e religione. Richiediamo anche l’uguaglianza tra uomo e donna e l’abolizione dei matrimoni con ragazze minorenni.

Cosa possono fare l’Ue e gli Stati europei per aiutare i cristiani iracheni?

Christians and Muslims ‘inseparable brothers’ in Kurdistan village

By Kurdistan 24

Sangar Ali

Nuhava is a village near the Kurdistan Region’s city of Akre, where both Muslim and Christians have coexisted in peace and harmony for centuries.

The relationship between the followers of the two different faiths is known to many as the shining example of pluralism in the Kurdistan Region, with bonds so strong the residents go out of their way to help each other, especially during their respective religious events.

On Monday, Issa Toma, a Christian villager, went out to help his Muslim neighbor tend to his farm as the man is fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

“I am a Christian, and my Muslim neighbor is fasting. I came to help him to make him feel comfortable with his fasting,” Toma told Kurdistan 24.

For some two hundred years, Christians and Muslims have lived together in peace in this village, according to Toma.

Yousuf Yelda is another elderly Christian man. He noted the residents always respect each other’s religions and extend a helping hand.
“During Ramadan, we as Christians don’t drink or eat in front of them while they are fasting. We also avoid smoking. That’s for Ramadan in particular. For other normal days, we are always there to go help each other if there is any work,” Yelda told Kurdistan 24.
The village is home to both mosques and churches, with worshippers of both religions congratulating each other during religious occasions, events, and feasts, according to the villagers.
“Thank God, we have no problems. The integration is so strong that it is hard for people from the outside to distinguish between Muslims and Christians, unless we tell them,” Ayoub Rashid, a local Muslim cleric, told Kurdistan 24.
“They (Christians) respect us so much during Ramadan. If in this holy month, we have some work to do, such as farming or manual labor, they voluntary come to help us,” Rashid affirmed, praising the coexistence and mutual respect they enjoy in Nuhava.
The Kurdistan Region is home to roughly 100,000 Christians, spread across different provinces, with the majority living in Erbil and Duhok. Following the emergence of the Islamic State in Iraq in 2014, most of Iraq’s remaining Christians were displaced to areas administered by the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), while others fled abroad.
The autonomous region has a unicameral parliamentary legislature with 111 seats, with five quota seats each reserved for Turkmen and Christian parties and one seat specifically set aside for a member of an Armenian party.
They also have their representative and Directorate-General of Christian Affairs in the KRG’s Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs.
The culture of peaceful coexistence and social harmony has its historical roots in the Kurdish region. Indeed, the Prime Minister of the Kurdistan Region, Nechirvan Barzani, and others have proudly stated that Christians are one of the indigenous people of the area, a melting pot of religious and ethnic minorities.

Editing by Nadia Riva
(Additional reporting by Ari Hussein)

Il card Sako scrive a Usa e Iran: no alla guerra, dialogo per risolvere la crisi

By Asia News

Louis Raphael Sako*

Di fronte “all’escalation della tensione” fra Iran e Stati Uniti in Medio oriente, il patriarca caldeo scrive una missiva agli ambasciatori di Washington e Teheran in Iraq perché i rispettivi leader “mostrino saggezza” e cerchino la pace. Nella lettera, inviata ad AsiaNews, il card Louis Raphael Sako parla di conseguenze “catastrofiche” in caso di conflitto e invita gli attori in campo a privilegiare il dialogo come unica strada per dirimere le controversie. Perché, come ha già sottolineato ieri il porporato, il Medio oriente “non può sopportare un’altra guerra”.  Intanto prosegue lo scontro, finora verbale, fra le leadership di Teheran e Washington in un crescendo di accuse reciproche. Il presidente iraniano Hassan Rouhani, citato dall’agenzia Irna, apre al dialogo ma non in questo contesto. “Oggi la situazione - afferma - non è idonea per i colloqui e la nostra unica scelta è la resistenza”. In precedenza l’omologo Usa Donald Trump aveva minacciato l’uso di una “forza immensa” nel caso in cui vengano colpiti interessi statunitensi nella regione mediorientale. Egli ha quindi accusato i vertici iraniani di “ostilità”. 

Da Teheran arriva anche la nota del ministro degli Esteri Mohammad Javad Zarif, il quale invita la Casa Bianca a guardare alla storia passata: “Gli iraniani - ha detto - sono rimasti saldi per millenni, mentre gli aggressori se ne sono andati uno a uno… usate il rispetto-funziona!”. Nel frattempo la Repubblica islamica ha quadruplicato la produzione di uranio arricchito e, secondo gli esperti, in poco tempo potrebbe superare i limiti stabiliti da un accordo nucleare firmato nel 2015 e che appare sempre più carta straccia.

Ecco, di seguito, il messaggio del patriarca caldeo. Traduzione a cura di AsiaNews:

Appello al dialogo e al contenimento della crisi fra gli Stati Uniti d’America e la Repubblica islamica dell’Iran

Di fronte all’escalation della tensione nella regione [mediorientale] e in ragione della nostra doppia responsabilità, a livello ecclesiale e sul piano nazionale, rivolgiamo un appello ai leader della Repubblica islamica dell’Iran (la nostra nazione vicina) e degli Stati Uniti d’America, perché mostrino saggezza e un’impronta rivolta alla pace per contenere il conflitto in atto.

La regione non può tollerare un’altra guerra dalle conseguenze catastrofiche, nella quale tutti hanno “da perdere”, in particolare modo le persone povere e disarmate. Per questo crediamo fermamente che il dialogo sia la sola strada per portare avanti le esigenze attuali, con l’obiettivo di una coesistenza pacifica in Medio oriente, di un rispetto reciproco e di buone relazioni fra esseri umani, al fine di conseguire il traguardo della stabilità. 

Questo dialogo dovrà condurre alla pace, che stiamo aspettando con così tanta urgenza per evitare di versare altro sangue. Al contrario, serve garantire sicurezza e stabilità. E ancora, promuovere uno sforzo comune per garantire una prosperità culturale ed economica che sia di beneficio per tutta la popolazione e per lo sviluppo della nazione. 

Noi, in Iraq, dobbiamo sentirci rafforzati ed edificati solo dalla nostra storia condivisa, dal patriottismo e dall’unità, che ci esorta a rimanere saldi nel sostegno al governo irakeno, in quanto esso solo è l’unica entità con valore legale (e decisionale) presente nel Paese.

* Patriarca caldeo di Baghdad e presidente della Conferenza episcopale irakena

Appeal for Dialogue and Containment of the Crisis Between the United States of America and the Islamic Republic of Iran

By Chaldean Patriarchate

Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako

Baghdad, 20 May 2019

The message was sent to both Embassies USA and Iranian in Baghdad

As the tension is increasing in the region and due to our national and ecclesiastical responsibility, we are pleading for the decision makers of the Islamic Republic of Iran (our neighboring country) and the United States of America to adopt wisdom and appeasement in containing the current conflict.

The region cannot tolerate another catastrophic war, in which everyone is the “loser”, especially the innocent and poor people. Therefore, we believe that the dialogue is the only way to promote the actual needs of the region for peaceful coexistence, mutual respect and good relationships between humankinds to achieve stability.

Such dialogue will lead to the peace that the region urgently needs to avoid shedding more blood, but rather to establish security and stability; and to persuade a cultural and economic prosperity for the benefit of people and the development of the country.

We in Iraq, have to be strengthened exclusively by our shared history and unity that urges us to stand firm with the Iraqi Government, as the only legal and official entity in the country.

Archbishop of Erbil: Is the US abandoning Christians at risk in Iraq?

By Catholic News Agency
May 17, 2019

Archbishop Bashar Warda, one of the leading voices on behalf of persecuted and displaced Christians in Iraq, released today an urgent statement regarding the retreat of U.S. personnel from key areas in the country.

“We are gravely concerned regarding the recent draw down of the U.S. presence in Iraq,” the archbishop said. “Having faced genocide at the hands of ISIS, our shattered communities have drawn immense hope from the promise of the American commitment to Iraqi minority communities spearheaded by the Vice President.”

Warda, as Archbishop of Erbil in the Kurdistan region, received tens of thousands of Christian and Yazidi refugees displaced from the Nineveh Plain after ISIS took large swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria and declared a caliphate in 2012.

“The 2011 pullout by the last administration created the vacuum which allowed ISIS to emerge,” the archbishop said. “A new vacuum created by American disengagement will likely meet with a similarly unhappy result. We urgently await clarification from the U.S. government concerning its commitments to the endangered minorities of Iraq.”

On Wednesday, the U.S. State Department ordered the evacuation of all non-emergency U.S. government employees at the American embassy in Baghdad and consulate in Erbil. The Trump administration said the order was given in relation to a threat connected to Iran. Iraqi authorities have expressed doubt about the threat. U.S. lawmakers have asked President Donald Trump for more information about the situation.

Stephen Rasche, counsel for the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil, told CNA that Archbishop Warda is responding to this partial evacuation.

“We are responding particularly today to unclear information over the past several days from various sources within the U.S. government that the U.S. is preparing to pull back, at least in part, from its prior commitments regarding support to endangered minorities in Iraq,” Rasche said.

Rasche said that Christians and other minorities are increasingly nervous because “the Church in Iraq has yet to receive a clear statement from anyone in the U.S. Government as to what the drawdown of personnel means for efforts to help these minorities.”

On October 25, 2017, U.S. Vice President Mike Pence committed to defending persecuted Christians in the Middle East.

He told a crowd gathered in Washington D.C. for the annual summit of In Defense of Christians (IDC) that the US “will no longer rely on the United Nations alone to assist persecuted Christians and minorities in the wake of genocide and the atrocities of terrorist groups.”

“The United States will work hand in hand from this day forward with faith-based groups and private organizations to help those who are persecuted for their faith. This is the moment, now is the time, and America will support these people in their hour of need,” Pence also said.

Trump minaccia l’Iran. Card Sako: il Medio oriente non può sopportare un’altra guerra

By Asia News

La regione mediorientale non è in grado di “sopportare” un’altra guerra, che rappresenterebbe “un disastro per tutti”. È quanto ha sottolineato il primate caldeo, card Louis Raphael Sako, ricevendo nella sede patriarcale nel fine settimana l’incaricato di affari dell’ambasciata Usa a Baghdad Joey Hood. Intanto un razzo [ignoti gli autori del lancio] è caduto ieri nella “Zona Verde” della capitale irakena, poco distante dalla rappresentanza diplomatica statunitense e il presidente Donald Trump è tornato a minacciare Teheran. 

In questo momento di grande tensione, il patriarca Sako ha sottolineato che è “urgente focalizzare” gli sforzi di entrambi le parti “per calmare la situazione” e rilanciare l’invito a un “dialogo civile”. Bisogna fare il possibile, ha aggiunto il porporato, per “scongiurare qualsiasi tipo di soluzione militare”. Pronta la risposta dell’incaricato di affari Usa, secondo il quale gli Stati Uniti “sono consapevoli” delle conseguenze nel caso in cui si continui ad “alimentare” questo scontro.

Interpellato da AsiaNews il card Sako conferma “la grande paura fra la gente” per un possibile, nuovo scontro. “Personalmente - aggiunge - non credo vi sarà una guerra, perché sarebbe un disastro per tutti: per l’Iran, per i Paesi vicini come l’Iraq, il Libano, la Siria e con implicazioni regionali, l’Arabia Saudita. Tutti sarebbero coinvolti”. Bisogna essere “molto prudenti e dialogare”, aggiunge il porporato, secondo cui “il pericolo sono i gruppi fondamentalisti e le milizie armate che vogliono provocare americani e iraniani, trascinandoli alla guerra. Dobbiamo pensare - conclude - agli 80 milioni di cittadini iraniani”.

Un possibile conflitto fra Repubblica islamica e americani è uno dei grandi temi di queste settimane, oltre che elemento di grande timore fra le diplomazie internazionali. Ad innescare l’escalation della tensione, la decisione del presidente Usa Donald Trump nel maggio dello scorso anno di ritirarsi dall’accordo nucleare (Jcpoa) raggiunto a fatica dal predecessore Barack Obama, introducendo le più dure sanzioni della storia contro Teheran.

Una decisione che ha provocato un significativo calo nell’economia iraniana - confermato da studi Fmi - e un crollo nel petrolio, obiettivo della seconda parte delle misure in vigore dal 4 novembre scorso. In risposta, l’Iran nelle scorse settimane ha deciso di “riaprire” al nucleare ritirandosi da alcuni impegni “minori e generali” previsti dall’accordo sull’atomica. All’annuncio di Teheran ha fatto seguito l’invio di navi da guerra e bombardieri nelle acque del Golfo da parte degli Stati Uniti e incidenti navali dai contorni poco chiari. 

Ieri il presidente Usa Trump ha inviato un messaggio durissimo alla leadership di Teheran, affermando che la Repubblica islamica sarà distrutta nel caso di una guerra fra i due Paesi. “Se l’Iran vuole combattere - ha scritto in un tweet l’inquilino della Casa Bianca - sarà la fine ufficiale per l’Iran. Non provate mai più a minacciare gli Stati Uniti!”. Una retorica bellicosa in cui assicura che non permetterà mai all’Iran di “sviluppare armi nucleari”. 

Se Trump alimenta la retorica del conflitto, dalle parti di Teheran si cerca di stemperare la tensione. “Non vi sarà una guerra - ha sottolineato il ministro iraniano degli Esteri Mohammad Javad Zarif all’agenzia Irna - dato che noi non vogliamo la guerra e nessuno può nutrire l’illusione di affrontare l’Iran nella regione”. Al capo della diplomazia di Teheran si aggiungono le parole del capo dei Pasdaran, il generale Hossein Salami, secondo cui gli ayatollah “non sono in cerca di un conflitto”, mentre gli Stati Uniti “hanno paura della guerra e non la cercheranno”. 

Nello scontro a distanza fra Washington e Teheran si inserisce anche Riyadh, che accusa l’Iran per una serie di incidenti avvenuti di recente nella regione. Nel fine settimana il principe ereditario saudita Mohammed bin Salman (Mbs) ha discusso al telefono degli sviluppi politici, diplomatici e militari nella regione con il segretario di Stato Usa Mike Pompeo. Confermando il colloquio, il ministro saudita degli Esteri Adel al-Jubeir ha dichiarato che “noi vogliamo pace e stabilità nella regione, ma non resteremo inermi di fronte ai continui attacchi iraniani”

Cardinal Sako to the Chargé d’ Affaires (CDA) of the US Embassy: The Region Does Not Tolerate Another War

By Chaldean Patriarchate

Patriarchate Media, 18 May 2019

His Beatitude (H.B.) Patriarch Cardinal, Louis Raphael Sako, welcomed at the headquarters of the Chaldean Patriarchate at Al-Mansour district in Baghdad, the Chargé d’ Affaires (CDA) of the United States of America in Iraq, Mr. Joey Hood and his delegation.

Regarding the current situation, H.B. indicated that the region does not tolerate another war, since it will be a disaster for everyone. It is urgent to focus our effort towards calming down both sides and urge them to adopt a civilized dialogue, to avoid military solutions.

The Chargé d’ Affaires of the Embassy emphasized the importance of what H.B. suggested, especially that the United States is aware of the impact of “fueling” this conflict. In addition, Mr. Hood confirmed his personal follow up on the reconstruction process, of the houses destroyed by ISIS at the Nineveh Plain area.

On the other hand the CDA reiterated US Government commitment to helping Christians and other components of Iraqi society recover from genocide and return home. Also, noted US Government commitment to abiding by the Strategic Framework Agreement (SFA), including the prohibition on using Iraqi territory to attack any other country.

In return, H.B. appreciated the field visit of Mr. Hood to some of the towns of Nineveh Plain and highlighted the necessity of this follow up to encourage the return of IDPs.

At the end of the meeting, both sides “pinpointed” the importance of supporting the Official Iraqi Army and the National Police to strengthen their role in enforcing law, stopping corruption, maintaining the “prestige” of the country and protecting it.

The meeting was attended by His Excellency, the Auxiliary Bishop Robert Saeed Jarjis, the Secretary Fr. Noel Farman and Dr. Ekhlass Macdassy, the General Secretary of the Chaldean Patriarchate.

After Attacks On Assyrians, Northern Iraq’s Christian Minority Recommits To A Homeland

By The Daily Caller
Uzay Bulut

On May 13, assailants broke into an Assyrian Christian home and attacked two elderly women, a mother and daughter, in the Iraqi town of Bartella. The women were repeatedly stabbed with a knife and their gold and money were stolen. The two victims were then hospitalized in Mosul. The daughter, who sustained a violent head injury, remains in critical condition.
Two men who were arrested for the crime are from Shabak, a Shia group that is supported by Iran alongside the Shia Hashd al-Shaabi militia, reported the human rights organization, International Christian Concern (ICC).
Bartella is a town in the Nineveh plain in Iraq, the ancient Assyrian heartland, where Assyrian Christians still constitute a demographic majority and have for years sought autonomy or self-governance. However, since the defeat of ISIS, Bartella has been occupied by the Brigade 30 militia under the Hashd al-Shaabi. And the number of Shia Shabak people is increasing in the southern towns of Nineveh.
Susan Patto, an Assyrian living in Baghdad, told the Daily Caller, “the attack on those elderly women is not just a crime of theft; it’s a message to Assyrians that you are not safe in your homes and towns.”
“The fragile security situation in Nineveh Plain, where different sides control security, and most of them are not even people of that area, is creating more problems, and also increasing the fear of people to go back to their towns,” Patto added.
“There is also the problem of rebuilding what was destroyed; it’s not going as it should be. People are not compensated for what they have lost, and there are no decent houses to live in, no infrastructure, and no jobs, and these are massive obstacles for people to go back. So the most urgent concerns of Christians are security and the rebuilding of their towns.”
The Assyrians, who are the descendants of the original inhabitants of ancient Assyria, have lived in the Middle East for millennia and are indigenous to Iraq, Syria, Iran and Turkey.
The Assyrian language they speak, which is also known as Aramaic, Syriac or Neo-Aramaic, was the mother tongue of Jesus.
Ancient Assyrian civilization made an enormous contribution to the history and culture of the region. For instance, ancient Assyrians developed mathematical inventions and sophisticated medicine which influenced science as far away as Greece.
Since the rise of Islam in the seventh century, however, Assyrians and other Christians became “dhimmis,” or second-class subjects. Yet, there remained sizable Assyrian communities for centuries afterwards, even under the Ottoman Empire. This changed dramatically with the Assyrian genocide that took place in Ottoman Turkey from 1915 to 1923, in which “300,000 Assyrians were murdered and innumerable women were abducted,” writes the author Mardean Isaac.
Even so, the murder of Assyrians did not come to a halt either in Turkey or in Iraq after the genocide came to a halt. According to a 2017 report by the Assyrian Confederation of Europe, “Assyrians represent one of the most consistently targeted communities in Iraq throughout its modern history. This has included the state-sanctioned massacre at Simele in 1933; Saddam Hussein’s Anfal campaign, which included the targeting of Assyrians villages; ruthless campaigns of terror to which Christians were subjected following the U.S. invasion in 2003; and finally, the recent tragic chapter authored by the Islamic State (IS) jihadist organization.”

Patriarca Sako: i Partiti si sono impadroniti dei seggi parlamentari riservati ai cristiani

By Fides

I Partiti politici iracheni con più potere hanno piazzato i propri emissari anche nei seggi parlamentari riservati, dal sistema istituzionale nazionale, ai rappresentanti appartenenti alla componente cristiana.
Lo stesso “furto” delle quote di rappresentanza spettanti ai cristiani si verifica negli organismi comunali e amministrativi. Lo denuncia ancora una volta il Cardinale Louis Raphael Sako, Patriarca di Babilonia dei caldei. In un articolato intervento sulle vere ragioni dell’esodo dei cristiani dall’Iraq, il Primate della Chiesa caldea enumera le cause e i possibili rimedi per i fenomeni di emigrazione che stanno indebolendo la presenza stessa dei cristiani in Iraq, e rischiano di cancellare per sempre la pluralità di identità religiose, culturali e etniche che rappresentava una risorsa della convivenza nazionale. “Nel 1970” riconosce il Patriarca Sako “i cristiani erano circa il 5% della popolazione dell'Iraq, e dopo la caduta del precedente regime nel 2003, la loro percentuale scese a meno del 2%”.

Il Cardinale caldeo riporta casi ed esempi concreti delle discriminazioni che penalizzano i cristiani nella vita ordinaria, anche attraverso la loro marginalizzazione nell’accesso alle cariche pubbliche e accademiche.
Maryam Maher - riferisce il Patriarca nel suo intervento, inviato all’Agenzia Fides - è una giovane cristiana laureatasi con alti voti, inserita dal Ministero dell'istruzione superiore e della ricerca scientifica tra i laureati segnalati per le nomine, ma gli organismi competenti hanno ignorato tale segnalazione, “perché lei è cristiana”.

Anche la nomina del nuovo Presidente dell’Università di Hamdanyia – fa sapere il Cardinale – non è stata portata a termine perché il candidato più accreditato era un professore cristiano. Non ha trovato finora alcuna attuazione la legge approvata dal Consiglio dei Ministri nel 2018 che disponeva l’assunzione di cristiani negli enti pubblici e amministrativi, al posto di impiegati o funzionari cristiani che vanno in pensione o lasciano i posto di lavoro pubblico.

Tra i fattori di disagio e di discriminazione sofferti dai cristiani, il Patriarca Sako ricorda anche la mancata istituzione di tribunali speciali chiamati a legiferare su materie afferenti allo status personale: tutti i non musulmani – spiega il Cardinale iracheno - devono sottoporre alle Corti islamiche i casi e le dispute su questioni religiose, ereditarie e matrimoniali che li vedono coinvolti.

The Main Reason Behind the Migration of Iraqi Christians and Minorities: Constant Discrimination and Uncertain Future!

Photo Chaldean Patriarchate

By Chaldean Patriarchate
Cardinal Louis Sako

Christians and other minorities played a significant role in enriching Iraq’s cultural, social and economic diversity, making valuable contributions to education, health, public administration and social services. This diversity created a beautiful mosaic of ethnic, religious, cultural, linguistic and traditional components. In the 1970s, Christians were about 5 % of Iraq’s population, and after the fall of the previous regime in 2003, their percentage dropped down to less than 2% due to being terrorists’ violence target, (e.g. Eastern Christians in the 1960s were 20%, while they are about 4% today). So, this “silence” and the absence of serious steps to change their situation, will push the remaining Christians and minorities to choose emigration, which will affect negatively this beautiful national cultural diversity, and distort it. However, a country with one homogenous fabric could be isolated from the world and may generate a kind of radicalism, ethnic and sectarian fanaticism. Therefore, Government priority should be, to preserve and protect the Christian and minorities’ rights and identity.

Decline in the noticeable historical presence of Christians and minorities is due to several factors: Institutional weakness at the level of justice; chaos; equality; fragility of the security situation; and the competition for personal benefits away from integrity and principle. Moreover, racial discrimination against them on daily practices including education, employment and social life, particularly against young people with higher education ambition, and employability. For example, Maryam Maher is a young Christian graduate (female) with high grades has been listed by the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (HESR) among the outstanding graduates of the college for the academic year 2016-2017, with a recommendation to be appointed, but the implementing agency ignored that because she is Christian! Another example is the issuance of an official letter from the Secretary General of the Council of Ministers Dr. Mahdi Mohsen Al-Alak, on 27/1/2019 to replace the current President of the University of Hamdanyia with a more efficient Christian Professor, but the decision was not implemented also. What kind of law is this? A third example is of yesterday’s incident when 3 Christian women in Bartella were harshly beaten and robbed!

On the other hand, the terrorist attacks by Al-Qaeda and ISIS are considered the most “painful” since “Sifa” massacre – of the World War I – that contributed to Christians’ suffering and injustice, where they were displaced from their homes and towns, in addition to the destruction of their buildings; Churches that have been turned to ruins; as well as erasing their crosses, statues and other religious symbols, urging them to leave their homes and areas.

Images of discrimination against Christians and minorities:

Political Positions: According to the “quota” of the Iraqi Parliament, five representatives of Christian component should be elected. However, the major “political parties” intervene in the process by supporting certain candidates for their own benefit, “stealing” Christians’ right in having this privilege, since the reality, showed that such “elected Parliament members” do not care about the Christian component, and have done nothing in terms of providing services to them. The same thing applies to the election in municipal and administrative councils!

Personal Status Law: Christians and other religious minorities do not have their own “special” courts, so they have to be subjugated to Islamic court, in terms of spiritual, religious matters, marriages, inheritance etc. We wonder, why don’t we apply a civil law for all Iraqis? as is the case in most countries of the world.

The Office of Endowment: The mission of which is to follow up the affairs of the Churches and Temples of the Yazidi and Sabean Mandaean religions focusing on the legal, real estate and maintenance aspects. Also, to take care of the school curricula to ensure their compatibility with religious and national values. Unfortunately, this office is “hindered” by its’ simple budget and limited allocation; in addition to the persistent delay of the executive authorities, in attempt to stop endowment projects.

All these oppressive factors, are actually threatening and affecting Christians’ and minorities historical and cultural existence. It also contributed collectively to make their “path way” awful, foggy and fearful of the future, especially in facing the silence of decision makers in the Iraqi Government. Even though, Christians are known for being loyal to their homeland and have paid a precious price for that.

Work Plan is Needed:

During our meetings with Government Officials, it is important to sense their good intentions, which is not enough. The actual need is for practical measures or steps that might change the reality. Christians and minorities are eager to see “practical solutions”, after all the injustice and discrimination they have endured along the years. Their desire is to practice their lives and their faith freely as Iraqi citizens; and their rights to be respected in order to contribute positively to the prosperity of their country. Below are some ideas that deserve a follow-up, support and encouragement from the Iraqi Government, hopefully:

1. Iraqi leaders and political “powers” must put their political differences aside, and be the voice of moderation, national sovereignty and tolerance. They should search seriously for a solution to the existing problems and eliminate the above factors from its’ roots, in particular, religious extremism that uses violence. It is worth mentioning here that religion came for the sake of man, to rationalize his mind and heart; urge him to virtue and avoid immorality; treat everyone with compassion, in order to live in peace and joy. Hence, crimes that we commit in the name of religion and in the name of God, Who we worship, are mortal sins. We must apologize for committing it and avoid it, by all means.

2. The Iraqi government must seriously make the fundamental reforms including: the application of the law with no fear or favouritism; disarming militias; providing security and stability; combating extremism, discrimination, terrorism and corruption, using qualification and competence as a measure for employment. Example for the unfairness in employing people from the Christian component is disregarding the compensatory law of employing Christians to replace their Christian colleague who “resigned, left the job for different reasons or retired, this law was approved by the Council of Ministers in 2018. In my previous article, I described Christians as “deferred migrants” facing an absent government stance, where I reported many cases of injustice against Christians.

3. Iraqi constitution should respect the right of peaceful existing in spite of being different and diverse, by adopting a contemporary civil political “policy” that promotes citizenship values; achieves the principles of freedom, dignity, democracy, social justice and true relationship among all Iraqi citizens regardless of their religious, cultural and ethnic affiliations; and promotes coexistence with Muslims. This way, Iraq will be the land of love and peace.

4. Iraqi laws ought to provide good conditions that guarantee Christians and other religious minorities the full citizenship and freedom in practicing their faiths explicitly; preserve their heritage, archaeological and historical monuments as an integral part of Iraqi civilization, in order to enable them to continue their lives with dignity. Christians and minorities are longing for a humankind society in which people respect each other.

Despite the painful experience and suffering of Iraqi Christians and minorities, caused by successive terrorist incidents along the years. I believe that this is the only way, to encourage those, who are currently living in the neighbouring countries or in diaspora (as migrants), to think about returning home, especially that the homeland is still alive in their hearts and conscience.