August 8, 2024
Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako
On the 10th anniversary of ISIS crimes that included, exodus of Christians from Mosul and Nineveh Plane, and genocide of Yazidis, people of the Middle East are still living in a state of fear and worries. For example, the Holy Land is experiencing killing, displacement, destruction and assassinations, this escalation of war is at its peak, placing Middle East at the “crossroads”.
If wise and sensible people around the world do not move to stop the ongoing violence, which is claiming thousands of lives, destroying homes and infrastructure, we will live in catastrophic conditions.
Everyone declares that they are against war, but they equip themselves and fight. Peace must be an absolute commitment. We, Middle Eastern nations, live together and cannot live in isolation. We believe that war never provide solutions! Everyone involved in it is a “loser”, as Pope Francis has emphasized many times.
Simply, we need today, more than ever, to learn lessons from the past, so that tragedies won’t be repeated. We must work to achieve peace and stability by: overcoming evil with good; war with dialogue and understanding; exclusion with respect for the rights of people; self-determination and respect for international law!
People are drowning in fear and despair. God created us to live and not to die in this misery, we should be able to live together in peace, love and joy.
The West must get out of this discourse that does not do any progress, stop financing conflicts “by proxy” and work hard to build peace and stability everywhere. The war between Russia and Ukraine is in its 3rd year with no solution!
Christian, Islamic and Jewish religious authorities must raise their voices loudly and stand together against those who call for hatred and extremism and beat the drums of war.
I call upon our Churches in the Middle East to bear hope, as Pope Francis asked us to be “pilgrims of hope” for the Holy Year 2025.
I suggest to organize prayers between Churches and Mosques for peace in our region
Lord of Peace, Grant our World Peace