Christians in Iraq are terrified that war in the Holy Land will engulf the region, according to a prominent archbishop, who is calling on governments around the world to work to bring peace.
Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda said he feared that an escalation of the conflict could trigger a new wave of migration, with devastating consequences for the Christian community already decimated by war and extreme poverty.
Speaking to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the Catholic charity for persecuted Christians, the archbishop of Erbil, in the semi-autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, said: “People are very afraid that the violence will spread beyond Gaza.
He said: “Speaking on behalf of all people – especially minorities, who tend to suffer more than others, especially in conflict situations – please, no more war. »
The archbishop added: “We ask all leaders and all those with influence to calm the situation.”
He said: “God forbid that this war goes beyond what we have seen in recent times. The settling of old scores would jeopardize the social cohesion of the entire region. The situation in Syria is not resolved, any more than in Iraq.”
Archbishop Warda said his people were on edge and some were still hesitant to stay in the country following recent violence and persecution by Daesh (ISIS), Al-Qaeda and other extremist militant groups.
Asserting that “the wounds of ISIS have not yet healed,” the archbishop added: “Violence could trigger even more migrations. The fear is still there. It’s not like the war we had was 30 years ago. It was less than 10 years ago.
Before 2002, Iraq was home to more than 1.2 million Christians, but persecution, violence and poverty caused a mass migration of Christians and Archbishop Warda said there were now around 150,000 left.
He added: “For us as a Church, if you don’t have people around you, what’s the point of having structures? We are not like an NGO. We depend on the presence of the people.
The archbishop then thanked ACN and other organizations for their emergency and pastoral assistance, particularly during the years of crisis that culminated with the invasion of Mosul, Iraq’s second city, and the plains from Nineveh, an ancient homeland of Christians.
He particularly highlighted the association’s current support of the Pope Francis Scholarship Program, which sponsors students at the Catholic University of Erbil, the institute founded by Archbishop Warda.
Archbishop Warda gave his interview during a visit to London where he preached at Westminster Abbey during an All Saints’ Day service remembering the martyrs of the Church.
In his homily, the Archbishop recalled the sacrifice of so many faithful during the years of Al-Qaeda, Daesh (ISIS) and other militants and praised the heroism of the martyrs, including his close friend, the father Ragheed Ganni, shot dead in June 2007 for refusing to close his church in Mosul.
(Photo by Simon Caldwell)
