The militia of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS) continue to advance unhindered toward Baghdad. Archbishop of Mosul: "More and more Muslim families are defending the homes (abandoned) of Christians." The challenge is to "secure the future" of the minority. Auxiliary Bishop of Baghdad: "We pray for peace, the politicians and institutions must find a shared solution."

Baghdad (AsiaNews) - "Pope Francis is a man of peace, and that is why we are waiting for a word from him for our country. The Holy Father is attentive to situations of crisis and violence, whatever he could do or say to contribute to peace would be very important for us". This is what Mgr. Shimoun Emil Nona, Chaldean archbishop of Mosul, in northern Iraq tells AsiaNews.  An estimated 500 thousand people, Muslims and Christians have fled their homes in this city.

The Iraqi Church is closely following the developments of the situation, from the north to the capital, all attention is focused on the refugee emergency and the need to help create a path to peace and dialogue. The auxiliary bishop of Baghdad, Msgr. Saad Sirop Hanna, speaks of "very critical and worrying situation," characterized by "a major humanitarian crisis and unprecedented political confusion". "The fear - he adds - is that this war between Sunnis and Shiites will fall once again upon us Christians".

The rebels jihadists of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (Isis) continue to advance unhampered through the country and are now pointing in the direction of the capital, Baghdad. After taking over Mosul, Tikrit and Samarra, the Sunni extremist movement invaded Saadiya and Jalawlah, in Diyala province. As in Mosul, the gunmen - who consider the Shiite majority in Iraq "infidels"  - encountered no resistance from the army. The Kurdish authorities, who control the northern part of Iraq, have deployed Peshmerga fighters to strengthen the defense especially in Kirkuk.

ISIS, a group linked to Al Qaeda in the past, plans to establish a caliphate uniting Syria, Iraq and the Middle East. Its advance could upset the current balance of the entire Middle East region. U.S. President Barack Obama says he "will not rule out any options," implicitly referring to the possibility of a new military operation since the 2003 invasion. The goal is to stop the advance of the jihadists who, today, seem to find support also among former members of Saddam Hussein's Baath Party, purged from the Shiite government after the fall of the Rais. Even Iran is ready to send special forces to the borders and into Iraqi territory.

Against a backdrop of dramatic violence, the Iraqi Church looks to the poor, innocent victims of the conflict and calls for a path of peace, dialogue and unity for the country and its citizens. Reached by AsiaNews, the auxiliary bishop of Baghdad reported that the attention of the Chaldeans is focused on the "people," who "are unable to defend themselves". Behind the Islamist militias, said Msgr. Hanna, there are "political projects and motivations of a religious nature and no one knows how it will end." There are, he adds, even "bands of fanatics and fundamentalists, who would kill for the sake of a confessional difference".

The fear is that ISIS will enter Baghdad and if the country falls into the hands of fanatics and foreign fighters, "the hope of peace will be almost zero". "There is a tremendous fracture - he adds - and it's terrifying that the army would leave entire cities defenseless. We are scared and we are afraid". There are no guarantees for the future, warns the prelate, so "we must continue to" pray with greater strength, "while urging the ruling class, politicians, government and institutions" to agree to find a shared solution".

Meanwhile, the humanitarian crisis continues in Mosul, under militia control. Archbishop Nona said that "other Muslim families have left the city, hearing news of impending army air raids". At this time, the prelate added, "we have been contacted by some NGOs for aid and basic necessities ... we are waiting because the need for help grows daily". Amid the drama, however, there are repeated episodes of solidarity: "There are more and more Muslim families - says the archbishop - who put themselves in defense of Christian homes, abandoned by owners fleeing from raids and assaults." "It is a positive sign and hope - he says - because you see that, among the simple people, there are no divisions."

The situation of Christians in the country and will be a major theme of the next Synod of the Chaldean Church, which will begin on June 24. "The biggest challenge for us - warns Msgr. Nona - is to ensure a future and a presence to the Christian community in Iraq, because after the events in Mosul the desire to flee grows." The prelate also confirms the attention of the Holy See for the development of the situation in Iraq: "Yesterday afternoon I spoke with Cardinal Leonardo Sandri [Prefect of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, ed], informing him of the situation of Christian and Muslim families. He ensued me of his sympathy and prayer. Currently we have great need of prayer ... and a word from Pope Francis, who is a man of peace and his every gesture has a highly symbolic value". (DS)

 

• IRAQ
• CHALDEAN
• CHURCH
• REFUGEES
• ISIS
• CRISIS
• VIOLENCE