Sako: "In 10 years there will only be a few thousand Christians left in Iraq"
Baghdad (AsiaNew / Agencies) - The Iraqi Chaldean
Patriarch, Louis Raphael Sako I, says he is seriously
concerned over the continuing decline of Christian presence in the country:
"If measures are not taken soon, in 10 years' time there will only be a
few thousand Christians left in Iraq".
The Iraqi Christian community had more than a million followers, 600 thousand
in Baghdad alone, now they have less than 400 thousand in the whole country.
The main causes of this massive migration are poor security, increased death
threats against Christians from Islamists and the seizure of their property by
armed groups.
The Patriarch describes the scale of the phenomenon of migration as "frightening"
and says it is worsened by the encouragement
of Western powers.
After visiting communities throughout the country, Sako said: "Christians
are those who suffer most from the upsurge in violence across Iraq. This is due
to the fact that Christians do not maintain tribal affiliations, as do Arab
Muslims. The only way they have to resolve disputes is through the Iraqi legal
system, which is often criticized for its corruption, and which is subject to political
manipulation".
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11/08/2017 20:05
