Chaldean Patriarch: Christians persecuted by
Iraqi government and foreign troops
IRAQ
Chaldean Patriarch:
Christians persecuted by Iraqi government and foreign troops
After a long silence, the leader
of the Chaldean Church has gathered and echoed appeals by
bishops and clergy, calling for a stop to “internal and
external persecution” that is affecting Christians in Iraq.
He urged politicians not to stand by and watch, and also
condemned US troops: “God does not appreciate what you are
doing in our country.”
Erbil (AsiaNews) – The Patriarch for the
Chaldeans, Emmanuel III Delly, has come out with a strong
accusation against the Iraqi authorities and foreign troops
and has called for decisive intervention from the government
and international community to stop the haemorrhage of
persecuted Christians from Iraq. Shortly after returning
from a long stay in the United States, the head of the
Chaldean Church denounced, for the first time since the
beginning of the war, the sins of politicians and armies
against the people, emphasizing the worrying conditions that
Christians are in, threatened with extinction. “Christians
are killed, chased out of their homes before the very eyes
of those who are supposed to be responsible for their
safety,” Delly said forcefully from the altar of the church
of Mar Qardagh in Erbil, Kurdistan, where he celebrated Mass
on 6 May. The persecution campaign undertaken by Muslim
extremists in big cities as well as in villages has prompted
the Iraqi clergy and bishops to make several appeals in
recent months for the unity of the country and the rights of
their community, which has always been a fundamental part of
Iraqi society.
Delly gathered these appeals and made
them once again in loud voice: “Today, Christians are
persecuted in a country where everyone is fighting for their
own personal interests. They have always lived in Iraq and
over the years they have done everything possible to
contribute to its development together with their Muslim
brothers.” Delly said Christians would surely fight to
ensure respect for their rights as Iraqis on regional level
as well as that of the central government.
In his address, reported in Arabic on the
internet site of the Patriarchate of Baghdad http://www.st-adday.com/,
he described the two-fold nature of the persecution:
internal and external. “Internal persecution is that
perpetrated by Iraqis themselves, who are chasing Christians
out of their homes and lands. Responsible for this
persecution are all those in power who did nothing and are
doing nothing to stop this tragedy. External persecution is
that which has affected the very dignity of all the Iraqi
people, whose mosques, churches and institutions have been
destroyed or occupied, without any respect for their faith.”
In this regard, the Patriarch recalled the case of Babel
College; its former base in Baghdad has been transformed by
American troops into a military base against the wishes of
the Patriarchate. This could be seen as further proof that
shared faith does not imply complicity between the foreign
troops and the Christian community, victimized by the war as
much as Muslims are.
As for the United States, Delly had hard
words for its intervention: “The Americans came to Iraq
without our consent. God does not appreciate what you have
done and are doing in our country... Let us hope that the
Lord enlightens these people so that they may stop violating
the rights of all Iraqis.”
The strong stand taken by the
Patriarchate, which has kept a low profile for all these
years, was expected by the community that now feels somewhat
more hopeful. “Now we can even die but at least we will do
so knowing that we are doing something, not just waiting for
our community to flee from the country or to disappear,”
said a priest cited by the website Baghdadhope.
