THE Chaldean Archbishop of Erbil, the Rt Revd Bashar Warda,
addressed the Synod on Tuesday, asking for prayer and financial aid
for the Christians fleeing violence in his country.
"Many times I have spoken in front of audiences such as this,"
he said. "But it has always been to give warnings of what might
happen . . .
"Now, the situation is different.There are no more waves of
refugees or displaced persons to come to Kurdistan. Mosul is empty;
Basrah is empty; Baghdad is empty. We Christians do not have to
plan for that eventuality any more."
He went on: "It is difficult to have to plead or beg for the
help of the Church, the EU, the United States, Canada, to act now
in such a way that there is opportunity for a Christian nucleus to
remain and thrive in Iraq."
During the past year, Christians in Iraq had suffered the "worst
acts of genocide" in their history, he told the Synod. "We are now
facing the extinction of Christianity as a religion and as a
culture from Mesopotamia."