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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During a separate interview with the delegation from Mission East, the Patriarch called on Mission East to help the Christians in the current situation:
“We hope you will develop some kind of relationship with the churches, because the Christians are not being helped through the assistance going to the camps.
I hope you will use your good offices for advocacy on our behalf.
We need you to tell your Governments that these Christians from the Plain of Nineveh have to be returned, have to be able to go back to their homes after the defeat of Islamic State, and our people have to be protected.
Our people do not trust the structures here anymore. Neither the Government in Bagdad, nor the Kurdish Government, because none of them were able to protect our people.
Our people need protection in two ways, first of all through the international community, through international protection, and then through the building of their own units, all the young people, so they are able to protect their villages and their towns.”
And asked if he did not fear for the future of the church, the Patriarch concluded:
“We have been in this situation for the past 1,500 years, so this is not new to us. I am not afraid. I am sad for these people who need to return to their homes. Christianity has always remained in this area, and we believe and hope that the Christians will remain. Of course, we are sad by some calls from the West facilitating the migration of Christians from here, we are against that. We want to help the Christians come and help them here, come and help them in their homelands. We don’t want this land which has been our home for thousands of years, and where our martyrs’ blood was shed, we don’t want to lose it, we don’t want our people to be uprooted, because yes, it may be a little bit better for them in terms of freedom and better living, but in the long run, they lose their identity, they lose their culture, they lose their religion too, I mean the West is not the best place for religion.”
Here, Managing Director of Mission East, Kim Hartzner, with the Patriarch of the Syriac Orthodox Church, Aphrem the Second.