Editorial

‘Sad Time for Christians’

Posted

As a concerned world looked on last weekend, the last Christians fled from Mosul, Iraq.

They were under active threat by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria, or ISIS, which had taken over the northern city in late June. Christians there faced the specter of death if they did not convert to Islam or pay a tax, according to Syriac Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan in remarks to Vatican Radio reported by Catholic News Service.

Mosul is not some remote outpost. The northern city is the second largest in Iraq, behind only the capital of Baghdad. Less than a month ago, it was home to some 35,000 Christians, the same CNS story said, although other sources place the number much lower. Now, “for the first time in the history of Iraq, Mosul is empty of Christians,” said one high-ranking Chaldean Catholic prelate.

A few Christians did convert to Islam, according to a report in The New York Times, which said they did so only because of the threat of death, after poor health had made it impossible for them to leave. Many of the others left home with only the clothes on their backs, as militants seized the rest of their possessions.

The red letter “N,” for “Nazarat,” which means Christian, was painted on their homes, as well as “Property of ISIS.” Crosses were removed from churches, with the black ISIS flag raised in their place, and other church property was damaged, including the offices, residence and library of the Syriac Patriarch, which were burned to the ground.

Mosul had been home to Chaldean Catholics, Assyrians and other Christians for more than 1,700 years, most of that time alongside the Muslim majority.

“It is a sad time for Christians,” one Christian leaving Mosul told The Times.

Assuring Christians in all of Iraq and the Middle East of his “constant prayers,” Pope Francis led thousands gathered in St. Peter’s Square in a moment of silent prayer July 20.

“Our brothers and sisters are persecuted, they are chased away,” the pontiff said. He expressed his concern for Christians of those lands, saying that they have lived there “since the beginning of Christianity, together with their fellow citizens, offering a meaningful contribution to the good of society.”

U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon, in a statement, condemned “in the strongest possible terms the systematic persecution of minority populations in Iraq,” particularly Christians.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki said the attacks by ISIS “reveal without any doubt the terrorist and criminal nature of this extremist group that poses a dangerous threat to humanity and the heritage and legacy that has been preserved over centuries.”

Patriarch Ignace Joseph III urgently reminded the world community of its obligations with respect to upholding human rights and the freedom of religion, noting that Christians have lived in Iraq, Syria and Lebanon “for millennia and, therefore, have the right to be as human beings and citizens of these countries.”

Catholics and other Christians in the United States, as we have said before, should not consider this a distant issue. Our Christian brothers in Iraq, and in other parts of the Middle East, should know we are not turning away from them at this most perilous time.

We should join in the pope’s call for prayer and peace, and consider giving to Church organizations such as Aid to the Church in Need and Catholic Near East Welfare Association, both of which have New York City offices. Both do a lot of good work on behalf of Christians and others in the Middle East and elsewhere.