World turning ‘blind eye’ to Iraq’s Christians

Church leaders in Iraq have pleaded with the west not to turn a blind eye as Christians face annihilation amidst extreme sectarian violence and intimidation.

The dramatic call comes as for the first time in 1,600 years, the Eucharist has not been celebrated in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul due to the takeover of the city by Islamists.

It was in Mosul in 2007 that Fr Ragheed Ganni, a former student in Rome’s Irish College, was martyred for refusing to renounce his Catholic faith.

As fresh fighting intensifies, Archbishop Yohanna Petros Moshe has warned that Christians are getting stuck in the middle of Muslim infighting. “I appeal to the consciences of political leaders around the world, to international organisations and to all men of good will: it is necessary to intervene immediately to put a stop to the deterioration of the situation, working not only at a humanitarian level, but also politically and diplomatically.

“The world cannot turn a blind eye to the tragedy of people who have fled from their homes in a few hours, taking with them only the clothes they are wearing,” he said.

Iraq’s Chaldean Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako has issued a direct challenge to Muslim leaders to denounce sectarian violence. He said he hoped Muslim leaders would use the month of Ramadan to preach messages of peace.

“Hasn’t Iraq suffered enough, with all the mass assassinations and people being forced to flee their homes?

“God save Iraq and the Iraqi people,” he said.