Resources
10 years of the Syrian Crisis and the Future of Christians in the Country: An Interview with Dr. Mark Tomass
Author: Abdulmesih BarAbraham
Publication Date: 9/3/2021
Source: Syria Comment
Until the outbreak of the Syrian revolts in March 2011, Syria had the largest Christian population in the Middle East after Egypt. According to different sources, two to three million Christians (making up 10-15% of the population) lived in the country forming a rich mosaic in terms of their denominations, visible in a variety of Christian churches in Syria. During the conflict, they have not been acting as a homogeneous group and remained fragmented along many denominational lines. Geographically, they remain scattered in different cities of the country. According to Open Door assessment from 2013, their geographical concentration in strategic areas marked an important factor of their vulnerability.
Between coexistence and coercion: The KRG's mixed record with Iraq's Christian minorities
Author: Sylvain Mercadier
Publication Date: 10/3/2021
Source: The New Arab
For many years to come, the world will remember this short moment of history in March 2021, when despite a resurging coronavirus epidemic, 84-year-old Pope Francis travelled across continents to meet the Iraqi people.
The unprecedented visit from the leader of the Catholic Church led to a moment of general jubilation, from Baghdad to Mosul, from the ruins of Ur, the city of prophet Abraham, to the Nineveh plains, the cradle of Assyrian culture.
Card Sako: 'I asked the Pope: ‘Are you happy? A lot!' he said
Author: Louis Raphael Sako*
Publication Date: 8/3/2021
Source: Asia News
Before leaving I asked Pope [Francis]: ‘Are you happy?’. And he said, ‘A lot’,” reads the message of the Chaldean primate, Card Louis Raphael Sako, posted on the website of the Chaldean patriarchate. These remarks exemplify the enthusiasm and success of the apostolic journey to Iraq, which ended this morning with the pontiff's return from Baghdad to Rome.
Pope Francis listens to Quran recitation in Abraham’s birthplace
Publication Date: 6/3/2021
Source: Daily Sabah
Pope Francis listened to a Quran recitation in the ancient Sumerian city of Ur, believed to be the hometown of Prophet Abraham in southern Iraq in a historic meeting on Saturday.
Pope Francis visits regions of Iraq once held by Islamic State
Publication Date: 8/3/2021
Source: BBC
The Pope Francis visited parts of northern Iraq once held by Islamic State (IS) militants on the third day of his historic trip to the country.
Christians were among those targeted by IS when they seized the region in 2014, carrying out human rights abuses.
Pope Francis meets Iraq’s Shia leader al-Sistani
Publication Date: 6/3/2021
Source: Al Jazeera
Pope Francis has met with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, one of the most senior leaders in Shia Islam, in Iraq’s holy city of Najaf to deliver a message of peaceful coexistence, urging Muslims to embrace Iraq’s long-beleaguered Christian minority.
The historic meeting on Saturday in al-Sistani’s humble home was months in the making, with every detail painstakingly discussed and negotiated between the ayatollah’s office and the Vatican.
Pope to visit Iraqi cities of Erbil, Mosul and Qaraqosh on Day 3 of Apostolic Visit
Author: Fr. Benedict Mayaki
Publication Date: 7/3/2021
Source: Vatican News
On Sunday, at the start of the third day of his Apostolic Journey to Iraq, Pope Francis flew from Baghdad to Erbil where, upon his arrival, he was welcomed by the President, the Prime Minister of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, as well as civil and religious authorities.
The Pope then met with the President of the autonomous region of Iraqi Kurdistan, Nechirvan Barzani, and the Prime Minister, Masrour Barzani at the Presidential VIP Lounge of the airport.
Pope’s visit to Iraq, ‘a symbol of hope'
Publication Date: 5/3/2021
Source: UN News
The Pope’s arrival in the Christian northern heartland, will come as a “message of peace and unity supported on a pillar of diversity”, UNESCO said. “This message is at the core of our mandate, where inclusion and diversity are critical to understanding, mutual respect, and ultimately a more peaceful and just world”, it added.
