Fighting to survive as a church

On August 23rd, the patriarchs of the four ancient churches of Northern Iraq gathered for a unique and historic joint service in a church in Dahuk, the major town in the area of Kurdistan to which most of the estimated 670,000 newly displaced have fled, including thousands of Christians. In a rare demonstration of unity, the four patriarchs fielded questions from the audience: five displaced Christians had been selected to address the church leadership, and they used the occasion to vent their anger, frustration and despair, but also to call for concrete solutions to their dilemma of now living away from their ancient homeland, seemingly without any hope of ever returning.
In a unique display of resolve, but also despair, the patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church, Aphrem the Second, called on the Christians to defend themselves once Islamic State is defeated and the Christians are allowed to return to their ancient homeland on the Nineveh Plain.
The pain and agony was felt in every word that evening!

Kim Hartzner, MD, Managing Director

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…………Yesterday we met for two hours with the parties of our people, together with the patriarchs. But the parties can’t make a decision, because they have different agendas, different ideas. Yesterday we gave them a message, to the parties: If you do not join together and agree to make a decision you are not helping our people. You parties need to focus on what the people want. You need to work with the church in finding a solution that will help the people. Islamic State did not come to take out the Syriac Catholic from Qaraqosh, or the Syrian Orthodox from their villages in Bartollah nor the Chaldeans from Teleskof, but they remove all the Christians. They just group us all together as the Nazrani. We cannot afford to stay in this idea of separation with everyone looking at his own interest. We have to be one. This difficult situation made us all to be one, there is no Syriac Orthodox, Catholic, Assyrian, Chaldean, in this situation all of us became Christian together. Our parties should be one, and what they want should be one thing……

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