catholicherald.co.uk

Catholic patriarchs from the Middle East have encouraged their troubled people to find inner peace at Christmas and urged the world to remember them.

“In Iraq, we will celebrate the birth of Christ who comes into our hearts in silence and tears,” said Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Sako of Baghdad. However, he said, “We remain sustained by (an) inner peace that perpetuates the joy of faith and hope that we will, despite the trials, work toward a fairer country and a better future.”

“This year, Iraqi Christians will celebrate Christmas in deplorable conditions,” he said, citing “the deteriorating situation at all levels in our country” and “what they experienced as Christians, victims of segregation and exclusion.”

ISIS still occupies Mosul and the cities of the Ninevah Plain, the patriarch said.

“No one, except those who have planned this religious purification, could have imagined such a catastrophe,” Patriarch Sako said, noting that, since the summer of 2014, many Christians have been forced to live in camps, in which their needs are being provided for only by the church or civil society.

Homes of Christians in Baghdad are still at risk of being seized by extremist Muslim militias, he said, adding that images of Mary were recently posted throughout the city, with a message inviting Christian women “to imitate the Blessed Virgin and to veil themselves.”

Catholic patriarchs from the Middle East have encouraged their troubled people to find inner peace at Christmas and urged the world to remember them.

“In Iraq, we will celebrate the birth of Christ who comes into our hearts in silence and tears,” said Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Sako of Baghdad. However, he said, “We remain sustained by (an) inner peace that perpetuates the joy of faith and hope that we will, despite the trials, work toward a fairer country and a better future.”

“This year, Iraqi Christians will celebrate Christmas in deplorable conditions,” he said, citing “the deteriorating situation at all levels in our country” and “what they experienced as Christians, victims of segregation and exclusion.”

ISIS still occupies Mosul and the cities of the Ninevah Plain, the patriarch said.

“No one, except those who have planned this religious purification, could have imagined such a catastrophe,” Patriarch Sako said, noting that, since the summer of 2014, many Christians have been forced to live in camps, in which their needs are being provided for only by the church or civil society.

Homes of Christians in Baghdad are still at risk of being seized by extremist Muslim militias, he said, adding that images of Mary were recently posted throughout the city, with a message inviting Christian women “to imitate the Blessed Virgin and to veil themselves.” “And allow happiness to enter into your heart.”

“May the New Year 2016 be a year of peace for Syria, the whole region and the world,” he said.