البطريركية الكلدانية بطريركية الكلدان
We, the Archbishops of Mosul of all denominations gathered in Erbil – Ankawa, headed by His Beatitude, Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako, are aghast, aggrieved and anguished about what happened to the innocent Christians of Mosul because of their religious affiliation. It is a crime against humanity as described by UN Secretary-General Mr. Ban Ki-moon, and “dishonorable stain should not be tolerated,” as described by the Secretary General of the Arab League, Mr. Nabil Elaraby, it’s a distinctive crime and stark persecution, that we condemn and denounce. How else do we grasp the expulsion of innocent civilian people from their homes under threat of death, and the expropriation of their money and the burning of their churches and monasteries, some of which date back to the pre-Islam? Is not this a human and cultural catastrophe?
We declare to the world our pride in our Christianity, and that we will never give it up at any price, and whatever the the villains will do. However, and at the same time, and as ancient citizens, we call on our National government to:
1. Provide the necessary protection for us and for other minorities, keeping their full rights.
2 .Provide financial support for displaced families who lost everything, and paying salaries to employees immediately and ensure its continuation.
3 .Record all the damage done and compensate the affected people as well as seriously consider to provide housing, schooling and university education to their children in case that their anguish is prolonged, God forbid, to enable them to continue their studies.
We also call on people of conscience in Iraq and the world to pressure on the militants to stop the destruction of churches and monasteries and burning manuscripts and relics of Christian heritage, being an invaluable Iraqi and international heritage. What has been said about an agreement between the militants and the clergy is untrue, a crime is a crime, can not be denied or justified!
We are waiting for practical actions to reassure our people and not press releases of only denunciation and condemnation.
On this occasion, we highly value the position of the Kurdistan region for receiving the displaced families, embracing them and providing aid to them. We propose the formation of a joint committee of the regional government and the representatives of our people to follow up on the suffering of the displaced families and to improve their conditions and mitigate the situation.
We ask God Almighty to curtail the calamity and restore security, peace and stability to the whole of Iraq.
+ Louis Raphael I Sako
Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq and the world
July 22, 2014
