From the end to victory... American report: Iraqi Christians breathe a sigh of relief

POSTED ON[You must be registered and logged in to see this link.] BY [You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]

[size=52]From the end to victory... American report: Iraqi Christians breathe a sigh of relief[/size]

[size=45]An American press report stated that “Christianity” in Iraq was fine, and that it had triumphed in confronting the terrorism formed by ISIS, although Christians had reached a stage in which they felt it was “the end” during that period.[/size]
[size=45]The American “Press Republic” website said in a translated report that “the situation of Christianity in Iraq is different. In contrast to the genocide committed by ISIS, which forced the majority of Christians from Mosul to flee towards Erbil in the Kurdistan region, with regard to the persecuted Church, Iraq represents a story full of hope.” “Although work on this is still ongoing.”[/size]
[size=45]The report quoted the Bishop of the Chaldean Church, Bashar Warda, as saying, “ISIS was defeated, Christ was victorious, the church returned again, and holiness was restored again.” While the report pointed out that there are American university graduates teaching in Iraq through an exchange program between the diocese Chaldean Catholics in Erbil and Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio, USA. Bishop Warda, who established the exchange program with Franciscan University, was quoted as saying that “the program helped change the outlook of Iraqi youth towards Americans.”[/size]
[size=45]He explained, “Many Iraqis initially thought that the Americans were coming to teach them because they just needed a job, but after the Iraqis got to know them, they saw their true faith, talent, and generosity.”[/size]
[size=45]Bishop Warda stated, “These young Americans come because they want to serve the church, and they show the beauty and kindness of American Catholics.”[/size]
[size=45]During the genocide carried out by ISIS, Bishop Warda, with the help of the Christian organization “Knights of Columbus” and the “Church in Need” organization, was able to establish a Catholic university and a hospital, among other achievements, with the aim of helping those who ended up on his doorstep. As refugees due to ISIS, according to the American report.[/size]
[size=45]The report considered that Bishop Warda was able to help Christians see the future in Iraq through education for children and job opportunities for parents.[/size]
[size=45]He added that Warda attributed the credit for this to other priests, such as Bishop Thabet Habib Youssef Al-Mako, for doing the hard work of “accompanying his people through this long and painful road.”[/size]
[size=45]The report stated that this situation was not an easy thing, noting that Bishop Warda recalls that in 2014, Iraqi Christians tended to believe that “this is the end... and that there is no future for them in Iraq.”[/size]
[size=45]The report also quoted Bishop Thabet as saying, “I admire the fact that Christians in Iraq did not try to hide their faith when ISIS entered, as they could have demonstrated, but that was impossible,” adding, “Our language is the Christian language, and our customs and culture are Christian, and we cannot “We separate our identity from Christ, and if we do that, we will die.”[/size]
[size=45]Bishop Thabet told the American website: “When ISIS came, they showed off their strength and took over many villages and cities and said to our people: You must choose between Islam, taxes, or the sword. The Christians said they were choosing Christ, and they left everything behind them and took with them nothing but Christ.”[/size]
[size=45]According to the American report, although Iraqi Christians are not currently facing the threat of genocide, that does not mean that they do not face challenges.[/size]
[size=45]In this regard, Bishop Thabet pointed out that “Christians are placed in the rank of second-class citizens as a minority, and they live in a country that is not immune from corruption, in addition to dealing with the challenges of daily life such as electricity.”[/size]
[size=45]Many Christians in the United States do not even know that there have been Christians in Iraq since the beginning of Christianity. As the report quoted, Thabet expressed his hope that “the Americans will realize that his people in Iraq have been there and will remain there, and he wants the Americans to remember the Christians of the Middle East and help them.”[/size]
[size=45]The Christians of Iraq have a clear hope that the West has an opportunity to play a role in helping them with the aim of ensuring the future of Christianity there, according to the American “Press Republic” report.[/size]
[size=45]The American report concluded by saying, “This would be a good thing for everyone in Iraq, as Christians in Iraq serve everyone who needs help, regardless of their faith[/size]
[size=45][You must be registered and logged in to see this link.]