EGYPT: Three places, two dioceses, one reality – fear

Marie-Claude Lalonde is the National Director of Aid to the Church in Need Canada. Here she reports back on her visit to Egypt in October to assess the situation facing Christians in the aftermath of the 25th January Revolution.

Whether in Imbaba, in Abou Qorqas or in Maspero, people here share the very same reality – one of fear. “Christians are scared, it is very dangerous,” a young man from Abou Qorqas tells us as he stands on the roof of a building adjoining the church. We cannot take pictures or film in this place – the two parish priests, fearing reprisals, refused to give us an interview in front of the camera.

We were visiting here six months after attacks that put 70 Christian families out on the streets when their homes and businesses were burned and pillaged in inter-religious violence. The knot at the centre of the conflict had less to do with religion than it did with quarrelling between two families. But no matter the cause, the consequences themselves were devastating for the Christians.

The same young man continued: “The children are in a bad mood, they have not slept in six months because their houses were set alight while they were inside.”

The villagers all wish to leave. There is no employment for them, no justice. They are arrested arbitrarily and can say nothing to denounce the situation.

The only positive note if there is one, is that the Catholic churches and the Orthodox and Protestant churches are helping one another and sharing the help they have received according to the needs of the people. About thirty Catholic families were left homeless. Half of them are housed by other families in the neighbourhood and the other half currently live in apartments the church has rented to them.

Bishop Antonio Aziz Mina of Gizeh is categorical in saying: “The source of violence is ignorance and poverty.” As we are speaking a great deal about the Christian exodus, he adds: “For every Christian who leaves, there are nine Muslims who also leave. I don’t want that. We encourage our faithful to stay… We want to participate fully and help in the prosperity of our country.”

Bishop Mina knows what he speaks of as the Imbaba neighbourhood, situated in his diocese, was rocked by violence on May 12, leaving 12 dead. The neighbourhood of Maspero (Cairo) where the assaults of October 9 left more than 25 dead and hundreds wounded is also part of his diocese.

There too, fear dominates. Proof of this: the simple act of a photographing or filming a church in Imbaba cost us 40 minutes worth of discussion with a police man. Even though everything took place calmly and politely, it is nonetheless a sign that the situation remains very tense.

Fear is an enemy that infiltrates everywhere, even in quiet and completely Christian villages. We observed this in Deir Dronka, a village of 3,500 people, all of them Christians. The inhabitants of the village are simple people making their living largely from agriculture. Not one incident was reported in this peaceful village.

And yet, they are frightened, claims their bishop, Monsignor Kyrillos William. “They want to leave the country because there are always massacres of Christians,” he tells us. What they hope is to go to Italy or America, but how many will succeed?

Some say they will go and vote [in the parliamentary elections which took place in late November], others not. People tell us: “The army is supposed to defend us, and they are killing us… so what good is there in voting?” Come what may, Church leaders are encouraging people to vote. They don’t say for whom they should vote, they are free. It is the exercise of democracy in which people are encouraged to participate.

The results of this suffering, of this fear and this uncertainty, will not be known in the near future as the electoral process will stretch over several months, or even a year. The process has only just begun and new inter-religious violence has already taken place.

What is left for Egyptians, both Christian and Muslim? Faith.

EGYPT: 'Building a future for my son and yours'

Marie-Claude Lalonde is the National Director of Aid to the Church in Need Canada. Here she reports back on her visit to Egypt in October to assess the situation facing Christians in the aftermath of the 25th January Revolution.

For the last year and a half, Egypt has made regular headlines because of clashes between Christians and Muslims. The country also hit front page during the Arab Spring early on this year. The situation of Christians – as well as of other minorities – continues to deteriorate.

Nevertheless, this cannot uniquely be seen as inter-confessional violence, as the roots of these conflicts are often found in the relationships between large families, unfounded rumours, the discriminatory rules of State, political issues, etc.

Despite these sad episodes of violence, life continues with school, work, agriculture, commerce…

In Dairut, a small village situated on the west coast of the Nile and 350 km south of Cairo, the Sisters of Saint Ann – an Italian congregation – hold a dispensary. They treat and counsel their patients without taking notice of their religion. For that matter, the majority of their patients are Muslim women with their children.

250 sick people, sometimes more, present themselves every day, preferring the Sisters’ dispensary to the public hospital. We are told that the care is better and as for the cost? One of the Sisters on site tells us, “They give what they can.”

A Sister tends to a young patient at the clinic in Dairut, Egypt

They treat just about anything, but particularly eye infections caused by dust and also many burns. There is a lack of hygiene as well that often delays the healing of wounds.

To the eyes of a stranger, burns are not habitually what come to mind on a list of treatments most frequently dispensed by a medical clinic. One Sister says: “Here, the children run everywhere. They are not careful and fall in fires… or there is boiling water for tea.”

Later on, she continues and explains that an angry man may very well throw boiling water on his spouse or his child. There is a lot of domestic violence. She concludes by saying “Men’s behaviour here is very hard with their women.” That is why, along with treating, the Sisters also educate.

In the cramped areas that serve as examination rooms, and in the hallways, they hang posters about democracy in the home. It’s a way to introduce the subject of relationships between men and women. They also distribute pens with slogans of tolerance inscribed on them: We will grow hand in hand; We are building a future for your son and for mine, etc. They hope that these ideas will do their work.

Tending to a patient at the clinic in Dairut, Egypt

As if the task was not already sufficiently large, they go into the streets to find the sick who otherwise would receive no treatment at all. They also lead a campaign against female circumcision in four villages. They tell us it is a reassuring fact to see that the mentality is changing and young couples are no longer doing it.

These three Sisters, and the nurses that help them, represent an element of change and of social stability. Through their attitude and their openness, they show that living together is possible, that democracy has its place and that, most importantly, all people have a right to dignity.

EGYPT: Changing the world, one 'tweet' at a time

Marie-Claude Lalonde is the National Director of Aid to the Church in Need Canada. Here she reports back on her visit to Egypt in October to assess the situation facing Christians in the aftermath of the 25th January Revolution.

Father Henri Boulad is an Egyptian-Lebanese Jesuit, and lives in Alexandria … that is, when he is not travelling around the world. He is now 80 years old, but rest assured, he is very much of our times. Well known for his straight-talk, it is with conviction that he speaks to us of the world, and of his vision of the world.

Interviewed in Cairo last October 21 by Aid to the Church in Need, Father Henri Boulad expressed his hopes and his fears for the future of Egypt as well as that of Christians who have been present there since the era of Saint Mark, the apostle.

At the outset, he recalls that the Coptic problem is not a new one in Egypt, and since Nasser’s rule (1952) Christians have felt increased discrimination. On the legal side of things, for example, Christians must obtain - not without difficulty - a permit to build a church; whereas Muslims can erect mosques just about anywhere without so much as a permit. There is also discrimination on a regular basis in situations involving obtaining jobs or buying property.

“What is new within these events is that not only are Christians protesting, but they are defending themselves against the violence done to them,” declares Father Boulad. He adds that since the events in Maspero (Cairo), last October 9 (leaving more than 25 dead and hundreds injured), the army lost its credibility. “We had the impression that they [the army] straight-out took position against the Christians!”

Father Henri Boulad, an Egyptian-Lebanese Jesuit living in Alexandria 

According to the priest, radical Muslims are now quite visible, which was not the case before the fall of Mubarak because he would track them. The radicals speak the language of violence, whereas the more liberal groups, who were at the source of the revolution, are “silenced through threats […] whether they are Muslims or Christians,” says Father Boulad. There are actually many who think that the revolution was hijacked along the way by the Muslim Brotherhood and the Salafists (radicals).

“It is all for show; believing that the elections will be free,” believes Father Boulad. Egypt, he says, is not ripe for democracy. Only the liberals would be. But they are far too weak in relation to other groups for the time being.

“The passage through Islam is incontrovertible and it will last a long time. […] We must brace ourselves for a haemorrhaging,” he analyses with regard to the exodus of Christians from the Middle East. “The West does not care at all for Christians […] what interests the West, is their economical and political strategy, one concern, that’s all, period.” Later on in this interview he will add “guilt by omission; kills me.”

A burnt out car in the Maspero region of Cairo, Egypt, where 25 were killed
and hundreds injured when protesters came under attack in October 2011.

Being more philosophical, he adds, this necessary passage, as he calls it, will be resolved through cultural and educational means and it will be a matter of a long process because it supposes an evolution in mentalities.

When we ask him what we can do, he says: “You must speak, fight, struggle – what you are already doing – what they continue to do with or without Facebook, in the press. […] I believe in the Internet, in Facebook and in Twitter.

“I believe in the strength of the Holy Spirit […] I am a religious priest, a Jesuit, a believer to the bone, and I believe that the strength of the Holy Spirit will one day be stronger than all these channels, but… but…

“I believe the Gospel will have the last word, and the power of truth along with the power of charity will have the last word. But battles in the meantime, and unravelling in the meantime, disillusionment in the meantime – but I believe … I count on it ... I believe in the strength of the Holy Spirit!”

And, the energetic Jesuit added with conviction that his life-long maxim has been, “To change the world!”

Papal protest in Spain?

Being in Madrid for World Youth Day has been a wonderful experience so far, but I was rather bemused when colleagues back home contacted us to ask about the protest against the Pope´s visit. They heard through the media that a mass protest had taken place involving more than 100 different groups opposed to the Holy Father´s visit. Now it is always possible that there were more than 100 different groups involved but if so it seems that they didn´t field many people. An eye-witness who walked past the demonstration told me that it consisted of no more than 250 people and that more than thousand pilgrims gathered in a spontaneous counter demonstration, drowning out the protesters with shouts of "Benedicto!" To be honest none of us thought much of it when we heard about it. It was obviously much smaller than the protest against the papal visit to the UK last September. So I was very surprised to find that it had made it on to the news in the UK and Ireland - and that it had apparently featured so prominantly. Colleagues who contacted us were even concerned for our safety! Of course, I haven´t seen the reports in the papers but as someone curently out in Madrid the impressions we´ve received from those who saw the news back home seem to bear little resemblance to what we heard described by an eye-witness. It seems that a small protest was exaggerated to make it appear a lot more significant than it really was. Perhaps it was a slow news day?

John Newton is Press Officer for ACN (UK). He is in Madrid for World Youth Day to help out with the exhibition on Christian persecution which is part of the official WYD cultural programme. 

Egypt: Reflections, challenges and hopes

In April, our Head of Press and Information John Pontifex travelled with a small Aid to the Church in Need team to Egypt on a fact-finding trip. It was his second attempt to visit the faithful in Egypt, after the original travel plans were put on ice as the 25th January Revolution gathered pace. In this series of blogs, John will be posting his diary entries from the trip, giving an eye-witness glimpse into life for Egypt's 10 million Christians - more than any other country in the Middle East.

Sunday, 17th April 2011

I am writing this on the plane somewhere between Cairo and London. In fact, looking at the satellite images of our progress on screen, we’re just crossing the English Channel. My mind is buzzing with the experiences of this past 10 days. It’s difficult to take it all in.

As it happened, my driver who took me from the clergy house in Maadi, Cairo, nearly dropped me at the wrong terminal until I pointed out his error to him. Drama, right to the last minute!

What am I to make of the trip? We certainly covered a huge amount of ground, going to every Catholic diocese. In fact, after the first phase, spent in Cairo, we visited a diocese a day. In the aftermath of the Revolution, it feels like Egypt has rolled the dice – gambling on its future – but the dice is still rolling and nobody knows what it’s going to land on.

If it’s a six, democracy and respect for minorities are guaranteed. If it’s a one, however, historians will look back and show how Islamists – the Muslim Brothers, or the Salafists – were able to hijack the Revolution and introduce a theocracy every bit as punitive as Iran or Saudi Arabia.

A Coptic Cross at sunset

For Aid to the Church in Need, it’s clear. The charity must respond to Patriarch Cardinal Antonios Naguib’s call to help the Church respond to the opportunities opened up by change. In a time of turmoil, building up the faith is more important than ever: building parish centres, catechetical and Christian education work, Mass stipends for poor and persecuted priests, helping the monastery outside Alexandria, formation of priests, support for Sisters providing crucial pastoral and humanitarian help – the list goes on.

And that extraordinary line from the Patriarch comes back to haunt me, his reference to the charity’s commitment to prayer, emphasised in all our correspondence. What he said about this sums everything up for me.

He said: “I like the fact that in your letters about project support, you always ask us to pray for the benefactors. You remind us that this is at the centre of who we are to each other.”

Find out how you can help Christians in Egypt

Building the Church in Egypt in secret

In April, our Head of Press and Information John Pontifex travelled with a small Aid to the Church in Need team to Egypt on a fact-finding trip. It was his second attempt to visit the faithful in Egypt, after the original travel plans were put on ice as the 25th January Revolution gathered pace. In this series of blogs, John will be posting his diary entries from the trip, giving an eye-witness glimpse into life for Egypt's 10 million Christians - more than any other country in the Middle East.

Saturday 16th April 2011

I can't tell you where I have been or who I have been with.

It’s just one of those things. If I said, the people concerned will be in trouble. But that doesn’t stop me from telling a good story without any of the crucial information being left out.

It’s the story of how a chapel was created under the noses of the security personnel stationed there precisely to prevent the work from going ahead. How it happened is like this: the clergy wanted to turn one of the rooms in a church-owned building into a chapel. After the state police had received a tip-off about the plan, the Church had to think again.

Then somebody had a brainwave: the sister of a priest occupied the neighbouring building. She received the building materials – timber for the pews, concrete for the chapel pillars, stone for the altar etc – and bit by bit they were passed across through a hole in the roof. The chapel was duly built with the state police outside oblivious to what was going on.

A church in Egypt

Truth to tell, church building is really difficult in Egypt. Under the old regime, a church could only be built with the personal permission of President Mubarak himself. There are strict limits on the number of churches it is permissible to build. The state police and local government authorities have a track record of nipping church-building plans in the bud, claiming widespread local opposition.

Even if churches do get built, so often within months of them going up, a mosque – huge by comparison – is suddenly erected. And yet, the bishops feel they must build because vast new cities are being built to cater for a fast-expanding population where up to 1.5 million babies are born every year. The average age is about 26.

We visited some of these new cities and they are truly enormous – housing estates spreading into the desert as far as the eye can see. One bishop told us how in one of the cities the authorities repeatedly blocked his plans for a church. He reiterated the frustration he experienced, his repeated representations to the planning authorities.

“We must build,” he said, “otherwise our faithful will start abandoning the Church. We cannot accept no for an answer. It’s simply not fair. We must build,” and then he added in a whisper “and we are building…”

Find out how you can help Christians in Egypt

ipadio: Sister Elizabeth - a hero of the Church

"We trust in God. We pray: 'Jesus, take care of us.'"

In April, our Head of Press and Information John Pontifex travelled with a small Aid to the Church in Need team to Egypt on a fact-finding trip. It was his second attempt to visit the faithful in Egypt, after the original travel plans were put on ice as the 25th January Revolution gathered pace. In this series of blogs, John will be posting his diary entries from the trip, giving an eye-witness glimpse into life for Egypt's 10 million Christians - more than any other country in the Middle East.

Thursday, 14th April 2011

Assiut, in Upper Egypt, is a University city. We arrived here today to find the Bishop – Kyrillos William – keen for us to meet the young people who attend the major institutions here. Walking through the streets, I suddenly realised that the bishop was quite able to walk around with his distinctive tall brimless hat with veil and his ivory-capped stick, without feeling at risk. Back in Sohag and Minya, the bishop had tended to keep a much lower profile.



Bishop Kyrillos William of Assiut, Egypt

This difference is down to Assiut having a much higher proportion of Christians – in fact it’s more 40 percent Christian, whereas Luxor and Sohag had been more like 20-25 percent. And this greater equality was reflected in a much more upbeat Catholic faithful.

Having visited a catechetical centre which is to be rebuilt thanks to funding from Aid to the Church in Need, Bishop Kyrillos took us on to a halls of residence. There I met a young woman named Lydia, aged 21.


Lydia, a young Christian woman from Assiut in Upper Egypt


Lydia is training to become a pharmacist. She explained that not covering her hair and her Christian names caused some consternation among prospective employers, but her attitude was far more resolute than what I had seen thus far.

She told me: “We are proud of our Christian identity and we don’t want to change. I love Egypt. It is my country. We trust in God. We pray: ‘Jesus, take care of us.’”

But nobody can doubt the pressures against the Church and the Coptic Catholic Church in particular. Bishop Kyrillos, a lively and erudite man explained the scandal of how the Coptic Orthodox insists on rebaptism of Copts Catholics marrying their faithful. We were told today that thousands of Catholics abandon their faith every year. Yes, many of them turn to Islam, in many cases for financial reasons – enhancing job opportunities etc. But there are also those who switch to Orthodoxy which holds sway in many areas.

For instance, the other evening, we went by night to a Catholic church under construction where work had stopped part-way to completion. We were told that the authorities had stepped in after complaints not from Islamists but from disgruntled local Orthodox. The truth is stranger than fiction.

Find out how you can help Christians in Egypt

ipadio: Meeting the faithful in Egypt



Expressions of Faith: In a village outside Sohag, Upper Egypt, Mass takes place in a church supported by Aid to the Church in Need



Bringing Christ's light to Luxor

In April, our Head of Press and Information John Pontifex travelled with a small Aid to the Church in Need team to Egypt on a fact-finding trip. It was his second attempt to visit the faithful in Egypt, after the original travel plans were put on ice as the 25th January Revolution gathered pace. In this series of blogs, John will be posting his diary entries from the trip, giving an eye-witness glimpse into life for Egypt's 10 million Christians - more than any other country in the Middle East.

Tuesday 12th April 2011

Our visit to Luxor was always going to be interesting but few of us could have expected it to be quite as we found it. We were particularly anxious to visit since Aid to the Church in Need staff had not been there for a number of years amid safety concerns. Despite the turmoil of the moment, we were given clearance to go.

Collected after the hour-long flight from Cairo, the first thing we noticed was a series of unmanned security check points. Introduced to the Bishop of Luxor, Joannes Zakaria, the first thing he told us was: “The situation is not very good. There is looting. People are carrying out many manifestations [protest marches]."

John Pontifex in front of ancient ruins at Luxor

Luxor is a beautiful city but tourists were still thin on the ground. Beautifully turned-out rickshaws with perfectly groomed horses stood idle behind the ancient remains in the city centre. There was an eerie quiet about the place.

Taking a late lunch, the bishop described the diocese: with 18,000 Catholics in a total population of four million, you realise the size of the diocese when you are told that it neighbours that of Khartoum, deep inside north Sudan.

Bishop Joannes said that in the last few years there were suspicious blazes on three church properties. One fire had broken out at a convent, another had gutted a parish church in a village called Hagazah and a third had badly damaged the bishop’s house overlooking the Nile.

But standing on the top of the rebuilt Bishop’s House, you felt that Bishop Joannes had had the last laugh. The view from there as the sun set over the hills behind was one of the most magical sights I have ever seen. The river continued to glint in the sun as the light in the sky turned red.

Bishop Joannes Zakaria and the view over the Nile from the Bishop's House in Luxor

The bishop himself is a character. Bearing a distinct resemblance to former (Labour) Home Secretary Charles Clarke, this burly bishop took us to sites, details of which cannot be published. When asked to indicate the government’s likely response to some of his activities, he simply bulged his eyes out at me and ran his finger ominously across his neck.

Others meanwhile are well documented, such as the extension to St George’s Church in Nag el Sigh, Luxor, which was completed with Aid to the Church in Need funds. The bishop explained that much of the work had taken place in secret one night. Visiting the church, the parishioners stayed behind to sing the Our Father in Arabic in honour of benefactors.

Find out how you can help Christians in Egypt

Egypt Patriarch's message of thanks

In April, our Head of Press and Information John Pontifex travelled with a small Aid to the Church in Need team to Egypt on a fact-finding trip. It was his second attempt to visit the faithful in Egypt, after the original travel plans were put on ice as the 25th January Revolution gathered pace. In this series of blogs, John  will be posting his diary entries from the trip, giving an eye-witness glimpse into life for Egypt's 10 million Christians - more than any other country in the Middle East.
Monday, 11th April 2011
Ever thought you were about to be killed?

That’s what went through my mind just a couple of hours ago. We were driving on yet another super highway when suddenly the car we were in suddenly died on us. Truth to tell it wasn’t a complete surprise, the car had been making some very peculiar noises and had had to be jump-started a little bit earlier on. But nonetheless, it was a total shock when it gave out on the middle lane of the motorway in the dark.

There were no street lights and so we thought that it was only a matter of time before a car driving at top speed ran into the back of us. Worse still, we were driving uphill. So at risk to life and limb, we got out and pushed the car to the hard shoulder, hoping (and praying!) the oncoming traffic would dodge us.

Fortunately, it did. We realised the vehicle had over-heated and the radiator was bone dry. The Patriarch’s secretary, whose car it was and who was driving at the time, was mortified and apologised profusely. A number of us were too busy semi-hyper-ventilating to stammer out a response! Anyhow, it all worked out ok. An SOS was sent out and sure enough another clergy vehicle came and found us and brought us back. I don’t think the Patriarch will have too much trouble persuading the head of Aid to the Church in Need's projects that it might be a good idea to help fund a new car.

In fact, earlier that day we had had an audience with the Patriarch in which he had stressed the importance of project support from Aid to the Church in Need. The Patriarch – who is a Cardinal at the same time (a sort of belt-and-braces approach to ecclesiastical authority) – explained the pastoral priorities of the Coptic Catholic Church. The prelate – by the name of Antonios Naguib – singled out formation – catechesis and Christian education – for the young and for priests and Sisters too.

He thanked ACN for its commitment to Christian schools, the training of Sisters and priests and for the charity’s work in support of catechesis and catechetical training centres. And he gave this very moving testimony to ACN’s benefactors:

He also went on to say that in this time of flux, when the political future is so uncertain, it’s crucial that bishops, priests, Sisters and lay people put their heads above the parapet and speak up and claim their rights in the new Egypt. Otherwise, they might just miss their one and only chance. He too warned about the rise of Islamism. He said: “We really rely on the friends and benefactors of Aid to the Church in Need. The most important thing they do to help us is pray for us.”

Find out how you can help Christians in Egypt

ipadio: A visit to the Sisters at Our Lady of the Annunciation Monastery in Alexandria

Inter-faith relations in Egypt - what is the truth?

In April, our Head of Press and InformationJohn Pontifex travelled with a small Aid to the Church in Need team to Egypt on a fact-finding trip. It was his second attempt to visit the faithful in Egypt, after the original travel plans were put on ice as the 25th January Revolution gathered pace. In this series of blogs, John  will be posting his diary entries from the trip, giving an eye-witness glimpse into life for Egypt's 10 million Christians - more than any other country in the Middle East.Saturday, 9th April 2011
I am sat in the back of a car driving through endless traffic in this mega-metropolis that is Cairo. The roads are all underpasses and overpasses surrounded by an endless concrete jungle of buildings. And it goes on for miles without number.

The group of us from Aid to the Church in Need have been talking, trying to make sense of what we’ve seen so far. It seems so confusing.

Now at this point I have to make a confession – namely that for ethical and security reasons, I can’t reveal everything I’m seeing, nor can I identify everybody I speak to. Let’s just say a highly placed Catholic religious figure with close Vatican links has told us: “There is no persecution here. There may be discrimination but even that would need to be proven.”

His comments seemed to be backed up by some graffiti on a wall near his house – showing a Christian cross and a Muslim crescent either side of a red heart.

Graffiti on a wall suggest warm relations between Christians and Muslims in Egypt - is this an accurate reflection of reality?

But on the other hand, we’re just coming back from Ismaelia where we’ve been told a very different story.

Driving parallel to the Suez Canal between Suez itself and Ismaelia, our hosts from the local church here have explained that in this region extremist Islamist movements are at their strongest. The Muslim Brotherhood – the infamous hardline Islamic political party – started here in the 1920s.

A ship on the Suez Canal in Ismaelia, Egypt

What we were told by senior clergy there was that these extremists have been let off the leash now that Mubarak has gone. And of course what that means is that Egypt’s Coptic Catholics who number barely 250,000 – far smaller than their 8 million Coptic Orthodox cousins – are very afraid.

Father Hana, who helps run a maternity hospital in Suez told us: “You can see these fanatic groups coming out. They are clearly recognisable now. They say they want to turn this country into something like Iran.”

Islamists have apparently gone online with threats to kill women appearing in public without a veil. Yes, Egyptians have achieved freedom; but if that means the right to oppress others, what kind of freedom is that?

Find out more about how you can help Christians in Egypt

Arriving in Egypt - at last!

In April, our Head of Press and InformationJohn Pontifex travelled with a small Aid to the Church in Need team to Egypt on a fact-finding trip. It was his second attempt to visit the faithful in Egypt, after the original travel plans were put on ice as the 25th January Revolution gathered pace. In this series of blogs, John  will be posting his diary entries from the trip, giving an eye-witness glimpse into life for Egypt's 10 million Christians - more than any other country in the Middle East.

Friday, 8th April 2011

Well, here I am; I’ve finally arrived in Egypt! I thought I’d never get here. Our visit here was initially scheduled for February. In fact, that original trip plan couldn’t have been timed worse. Just a few days before we were due to arrive, President Hosni Mubarak relinquished office and beat a hasty retreat. In all the pandemonium, we had no option but to delay and have only just got the green light to come.

Barely six weeks after Mubarak’s departure, we were not a little nervous about coming. I say we – it’s three of us: Regina Lynch and Fr Andrzej Halemba from Aid to the Church in Need’s projects department and very seasoned travellers too. Coming out of Cairo’s swanky new airport this afternoon, we knew change was in the air even before we hit the highway. Inching our way out of the car park, we noticed that the car in front had a sticker in the rear window, proclaiming ‘25th January’



Many of the cars we saw were emblazoned with 25 January stickers commemorating the Revolution

 That is the date when ‘The Revolution’ began, with crowds amassing in Tahir Square demanding political change at the highest level. Apparently, 40 million of these stickers have been produced. We soon noticed that a large number of cars were adorned with them. Our driver, Fr Hani, secretary to the Coptic Catholic Patriarch based here in Cairo, said the stickers were seen as a symbol of ‘power to the people’.

Nobody in their wildest dreams believed such a power was capable of bringing down a 30-year regime apparently as rock solid as the Pyramids themselves. What’s strange is that everything here seems so normal – apart from the stickers, there’s little to tell you there’s just been a political earthquake.


The domes of a mosque seen from a motorway in central Cairo

But under the surface may lie a different story. I write this sitting on my bed at a house for retired clergy in the Cairo suburb of Maadi. As I finish for the day, I wonder if our trip here will shed any light on whether such seismic change will continue to be as ‘bloodless’ as it has been thus far. And especially in the light of the purpose of our trip, what will it mean for the country’s Christians?

Find out more about Christians in Egypt at www.acnuk.org/egypt

We must speak out for peace and justice in Pakistan

Shahbaz Bhatti, Pakistan's late Federal Minister for Minorities, who was assassinated in March

When militant Islamists in Pakistan assassinated Shahbaz Bhatti in March, they silenced the sole Christian voice in the country’s Cabinet.

As the Federal Minister for Minorities, Mr Bhatti had frequently spoken out about the persecution of Christians in Pakistan, especially as a consequence of the notorious Blasphemy Laws. When eight people died during anti-Christian riots sparked by reports of the Qu’ran being desecrated in Gojra, Punjab province, in August 2009, it was Shahbaz Bhatti who demanded better protection for Christian communities.
And his voice – along with that of another assassinated politician, Salman Taseer, the Governor of Punjab Province – was the loudest to speak in defence of Asia Bibi, a Christian woman on death row for alleged blasphemy offences.

Both men had called for changes to Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws, which, in enshrining the sanctity of Islam and the Prophet Mohammed, provide an often-abused tool for vengeance and vindictiveness against minority groups and personal enemies. The laws have been cited as the cause of 14 separate attacks on Christians over the last two months. A recent call by an Islamist political group to ban the Bible for being “blasphemous” and “pornographic” shows tolerance to be at a low ebb.

In a video prepared in the event of his death, Shahbaz Bhatti declared: “I believe in Jesus Christ who has given his own life for us, and I am ready to die for a cause. I'm living for my community... and I will die to defend their rights.”

In association with the British Pakistani Christian Association, Aid to the Church in Need is asking supporters to make their voice heard in defence of Pakistan’s Christians and other minorities.

Please sign our petition calling for peace, justice and human rights for all people of Pakistan. Almost 700 people have already signed up, and the more names we can gather, the louder our voices wil speak out.

Christians protest in Pakistan after extremist attacks left eight dead and many injured

We will also be taking part in a protest march on Saturday 2nd July in London. The march is being organised by Wilson Chowdhry, the chairman of the British Pakistani Christian Association who said: "We are grateful for the partnership with Aid to the Church in Need, who have responded so warmly to our request for support.

“Pakistani Christians in their homeland are persecuted daily. The increasing conservative and extremist form of Islam in Pakistan has meant that those who speak out against oppression are silenced through either threat or assassination, such as Shahbaz Bhatti (RIP).”

During the march, I will be among a delegation submitting the petition to 10 Downing Street. John Pontifex, Aid to the Church in Need’s head of press and information, will be giving a short talk to the crowd, too.

Other guests expected at the rally include Bishop Dr Michael Nazir Ali, the former Anglican Bishop of Rochester, Stuart Windsor of Christian Solidarity Worldwide, Lee Scott MP and representatives from Christian, Sikh, Hindu and Muslim organisations

You can find out more about the protest here

Please do add your voice to our campaign, and ask friends and family to do the same – Pakistan’s Christians have no voice of their own.

Neville Kyrke-Smith
UK Director, Aid to the Church in Need

Archbishop of Tunis hopeful after Jasmine Revolution

"It is like recuperating after a long illness. But we have hope as the young won't accept being oppressed," Archbishop Maroun Lahham of Tunisia's capital, Tunis, tells me when I ask him about the fallout of the December 2010/January 2011 Jasmine Revolution.

Political instability sees army soldiers and barbed wire outside his cathedral near the French Embassy, yet the archbishop's faith shines through. "I am optimistic by nature and by vocation," he smiles.

He tells me he is invited to meetings with Muslims and government officials. He does not think that radicals will take control in elections now scheduled for September/October after they were postponed recently. Maybe Tunisia can lead the way in the Middle East with a pluarlistic and democratic society?

The archbishop gives thanks to Aid to the Church in Need for help over the years - and thank you from me, too.

Neville Kyrke-Smith, Tunisia

Reflections on Middle East & ACN support

This morning I visited 5 of the 50 families around Bethlehem who make and handcraft wooden crosses, rosaries & Christmas decorations for the Tabash family & for ACN. The oldest person was Joan aged 101 years...who loves to put the wooden roasaries into pouch packets! I assured them of our prayers. It was a privilege to meet young & old alike on behalf of ACN. At 6am Mass in the Holy Grotto priests from Wonersh Seminary celebrated the hope of the Incarnation - & I led the singing of the Salve Regina with the seminarians for the suffering Church. The hope of Christ is alive - the Hope born for us in Bethlehem. Pope Benedict reflected on the situation in the Holy Land & one of the priests reflected on his words and said: "We are asked to nurture & care for Christians in the Holy Land & Middle East, just as we would care for the baby Jesus Himself." In the midst of worry, fear, violence & suffering your help through ACN sustains hope Himself born for us. Thank you. Neville, Jerusalem, 18 05,11

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Bethlehem protest controlled 15 05 11

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Palestinian prayers & tensions

As developments and breaking news report - there are uprisings and tensions throughout the Middle East. Sunday has been a day of mourning for Palestinians 1948 & all that has happened since....Nakba, disaster. Whilst borders have been crossed from Lebanon & Syria, internally it has been a very tense day. On the road from Jericho late afternoon there were 3 check points & Palestinians were being prevented from travelling to specific areas. Tonight Sunday evening there were even some clashes on the streets of Bethlehem near a check point. I witnessed control being taken - riot shields and batons were used...and the stones + bricks being cleared away, but still a man waved a Fatah flag in the street. Prayers please for oppressed peoples and for peace. ACN is commited to help Christian communities wherever they are in need. Neville Kyrke-Smith, Aid to the Church in Need, Bethlehem, 15.05.11


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Nakbah Day

Here in Bethlehem this Sunday there are prayers for peace on Nakbah Day - a day of mourning for Palestinians for 1948 & for all that has happened to them. In much of the Middle East there are clashes, violence & some deaths. Patriarch Rai in Beirut  spoke of "a political & social earthquake which has struck the Middle East"...& the reverberations + after-shocks ripple across all borders.  Yet the people search for hope. At Mass in St Catherine's Church in Bethlehem over 100 young children made their First Communion today. Let us pray with our brothers & sisters...and help sustain hope. Neville, Bethlehem, 15 05 11

May Our Lady pray for Christians in the Middle East

An amazing image from the Wall.

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Monastic prayer in the mountains of Lebanon

Just come from the dusty streets of Tripoli, north Lebanon, where black Sunni flags fly from houses and banners proclaim 'There is only one God and Mohammed is his apostle'
. Now visiting Monastery of St Anthony, Qozhaya high up in the mountains & just met Fr Joseph Sleiman, a Maronite monk...until recently Principal of a school in Sydney Australia. All the villages & small towns here in the mountains around Qadisha Valley are Maronite - this is where they came here to flee centuries ago. History may never quite repeat itself, but the long shadows of history & persecution are never far away. Prayers from near the Cedars of Lebanon.

Neville, north Lebanon

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On the Green Line

Last night in downtown Beirut we parked on the old Green Line, the frontline in the 1975-90 War. Posters of more recently murdered politicians - e.g. Rafiq Hariri, murdered in 2005 - hang from buildings. Now in a more peaceful time - here in the Middle East at least - despite armed soldiers and check points the Lebanese enjoy sitting outside smoking their water & tobacco narguileh pipes or eating together. Western style dress mixes with Muslim hijabs on the streets & an Arab in a full shadour walks past on his mobile & then soldiers with guns at hand walk by. Cultures and religions mix in Beirut once again, but it is not 'the Western playground' of the 1960s. Beirutis always went out to eat even when the bombs came down...now there is some peace and they always hope.

Neville

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Beirut faith

Meeting with Iraqi refugees. Now fearful of more fleeing Syria...where they have already fled to. Some now going back from Syria to villages in northern Iraq. Yet encouragement
from great faith of Jacques Kalassi at Tele Lumiere witnessing to Christ throughout the Arab world. Faith & fortitude...all with hope. Great ACN support - really appreciated. In prayer from Beirut - Neville

Tyre - but don't tire of prayer

Just passed UN post on way from Tyre to Sidon...Sour to Saida...after Bishop Hajj had appealed to ACN to help "the villages and home of Christianity". He asked for solidarity & prayer in this part of the Holy Land where Christ & his Mother came. "One bullet could ignite a renewed conflict. " He and others are  involved in dialogue between Christians, Muslims & Druze. Today a new centre for dialogue sponsored by the Sultan of Oman opened in Beirut. Talk fine - but where is the action? Neville

Lebanon
10.05.11

Sidon

Dialogue & inter-religious meetings take place in Sidon (Saida) + two bishops speak of good relations with Sunni, Shia and Druze. Worries about possible Syrian refugees - perhaps 300,000 Melkites amongst 2 million Christians. How do we at ACN help sustain Christianity here? Archbishop Nassar of Sidon pleaded - "Help us to witness to Christ where Christ & His blessed mother came."
Just arriving in Tyre (Sour)...after passing UN armoured vehicles.
Neville
10.05.11

Beirut & Middle East

In Lebanon today there seems to be a mixture of fear and also relief. Fear at the unknown consequences of what Patriarch Rai calls 'a political and social earthquake in the Middle East' and the critical situation nearby in Syria + Egypt. Yet, also relief...that- for all the political in-fighting - that there is no actual conflict taking place in Lebanon. There are deep anxieties amongst Christian communities about what is happening to their brothers & sisters throughout the Middle East + a real worry about a possible flood of refugees. Yet the Lebanese live on hope...& trust in God + look to charities like ACN to help them. Neville K-S, Beirut, 09.05.11

Lebanon

En route to Beirut for Aid to the Church in Need. It will be interesting to see how the religious & political landscape is being impacted upon by Middle East upheavals. Challenging for
Christian communities and others.Will speak to those caring for Iraqi refugees and orphans, new Patriarch & different communities.
Neville
08/05/11

Archbishop Warda speaks out about suffering Christians in Iraq

Arcbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil in Iraq gave a frank assessment of the crisis surrounding Iraq's Christians last night, at the launch of Aid to the Church in Need's new report on religious freedom Persecuted and Forgotten?

Below is the full text of his speech. You can also find out more about the countries featured in Persecuted and Forgotten? at www.acnuk.org/persecution

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. I thank you for the honor to mark the launch of the 2011 edition of Aid to the Church in Need’s report on Christians oppressed for their faith, titled Persecuted and Forgotten?

As I begin I would like to specifically thank Neville Kyrke-Smith, National Director for ACN  and John Pontifex for hosting this visit and for welcoming me here.

This report and the work of Aid to Church in Need are critical to us as members of the worldwide Christian community. This information will significantly contribute to  building international support and solidarity for Christians around the world where our human rights to religious freedom has been stripped away. 

As the report states, in many countries, like Iraq, the situation for Christians seems to be worsening, sometimes to the point were we wonder if we will survive as a people in our own country.  There is no doubt that the political turmoil and growing nationalist struggles in Iraq are contributing to the loss of our religious freedoms.

But this is not a time to hide our faith or our identity over such struggles.  In Iraq, 40 years of war and oppression have strengthened our endurance and our resolve to stand strong and to claim our legal and historical right as a Church and as a people in Iraq.  We have not come this far to give up.  Through the international support and solidarity that this report will create, I believe we can be stronger in our unity and more strategic in our search for sustainable solutions.  

In the Middle East in particular, the people of our region both Christians and non-Christians are bringing themselves out of centuries of persecution, ignorance, and under development.  We are embroiled in a regional crisis.  Not merely a political crisis, where we are relentlessly bullied by politial militia for land, oil, or political votes.  Not only a crisis of faith where we are called to suffer, sometimes to suffer more than seems bearable for the sake of our religious beliefs.  And then to suffer again as we face the lack of support by the world’s churches and western governments.
 

What we Iraqis are suffering is a something a crisis in cultural change.  We are living in a region which cannot decide if it is for democracy or for Islamic law. It cannot decide if it is for the rights of human beings to live in freedom in all its exciting and challenging forms, OR if it is for the control of the spirit and the minds of its people.  This is the kind of control that welcomes the terrorist methods of intimidation, kidnapping and killing of religious minorities.   

The Middle East, now, is a crescent, fertile for terror and domination.  A region founded upon a cultural and social environment that has depended on violence to keep its societies divided.  History and a tribal mentality have been used to maintain that violence and those divisions. The Crusades, the aggressive West, Israel and American Christians are pointed to as the enemies.  Yet, in reality, the enemy is within.
 

What Iraqis are left with is a weak constitution that tries to please two masters --- on the one hand the premise of human rights supposedly for all its citizens, yet on the other hand, Islamic law for its majority of Muslims.  Islamists are not the only ones at fault.  Secularists with an eye for profit are also responsible.  Neighboring governments in the region feeding the insurgents with money and weapons to destabilize the government are also responsible.  The rest of world’s governments have turned their backs on us, as if the human rights abuses and near genocide conditions Iraqi Christians experience, are temporary.

Yet for nearly 50 years, Christians in Iraq have suffered displacement and negligence. Here is a picture of the 233 Christian villages in northern Iraq in 1961. Dozens of those villages were destroyed in the 1950s and 60’s as Iraq evolved from a kingdom to a republic and this displacement continued into the years of Saddam Hussein.

Moreover, Christian history is noticeably absent from the Iraqi history books used in our public schools.  Our place as one of the original inhabitants of the region, has been wiped from collective memory. We are merely one of the non-Muslim, minority inhabitants of Iraq, lacking all the rights and rewards that full citizenship in a real democracy should bring us. 

During the Gulf War years, the Christian population in Iraq was estimated between 1.2 and 1.4 million.  By 2003, it had dropped by over half a million.  Iraq’s Christian population now numbers less that 500,000 and this figure is highly optimistic. 

Iraqi Christians live primarily in Baghdad, Basra, Kirkuk, Erbil and Mosul and in small towns in the Nineveh plains of the north.  Close to two-thirds of Iraqi Christians belong to the Chaldean Catholic Church, and roughly one-fifth belong to the Assyrian Church of the East. The rest belong to the Syriac Orthodox Church, Syriac Catholic Church, and various protestant denominations. 

As you can see in these two maps main Iraqi Christian population centers are located along disputed boundaries between Iraq and Kurdistan and in areas with strong extremist militia presence.

Christians tend to be persecuted by majority populations for two reasons: 

1. Their Christian faith, which is not accepted in Iraq by Islamic fundamentalists

2. For political purposes to control land and resource allocation in the disputed areas.

Since the occupation of Iraq in 2003, an estimated 403 to 573 Christians have been killed in religious and politically motivated conflicts.  Forty percent of the killings took place in northern Iraq, 58% in the Baghdad region and 2% in the south.

Killings of Christians began in earnest in 2003 when the first translator was killed in Baghdad. In 2006, targeted killings of Christian leaders escalated when an Orthodox Christian priest, Boulos Iskander, was kidnapped, beheaded and dismembered despite payment of a ransom.

Between 2006 and 2010, 17 Iraqi priests and 2 Iraqi Bishops were kidnapped in Baghdad, Mosul and Kirkuk. Many were held for days; some for weeks.  All were beaten or tortured by their kidnappers. Most were released, but one bishop, four priests and three sub-deacons were killed.  In most cases, those responsible for the crimes stated they wanted Christians out of Iraq. 

These kidnappings and murders have left their mark on the minds and bodies of the Iraqi churches.  Not only were these men deeply wounded, but their fellow priests, families, and congregations live with the memory of these crimes and the awareness of their daily vulnerabilities as Christians in Iraq. 

Not only have our religious leaders been murdered, but also simple families, shop keepers, children, teachers, the elderly, mothers and their babies, and members of all element of Christian society. 

In Iraq, Christians suffer intimidations daily.  

·   Direct threats using intimidating letters with bullets placed inside

·   Text messages direct sent to families named in the messages

·   Direct threats, person-to-person on the streets

·   Threatening language from police and army representatives

·   Breaking into houses, stealing possessions or making extortion threats

·   Threatening graffiti with Koranic text

·   Armed men standing in front of Christian homes or in cars and then leaving

·   Text messages about kidnapping children from their schools

Also, our college students are severly intimidated. In Mosul, women are required to wear hijab and are not allowed to talk to male students. Thousands of college students have delayed their studies or transferred to Erbil for their course work. 

Now I would like to talk to you about the systematic bombing campaign of Iraqi churches.  The first Iraqi church was bombed in June, 2004 in Mosul.  Following that event, successive campaigns have occurred and a total of 66 churches have been attacked or bombed; 41 in Baghdad, 19 in Mosul, 5 in Kirkuk and 1 in Ramadi. In addition, 2 convents, 1 monastery and a church orphanage was bombed.  

The first Campaign of bombed churches took place on August 1 2004 at the Church of Saint Peter and Paul in Al Dora. That day, 6 churches were bombed across Iraq.    

Because of the violence in Al Dora in 2006, which included not only bombings but also kidnapping and murders, the start of courses was delayed at Babel Pontifical College of Theology and Philosophy.  Realizing that the students and priests would be in danger if they remained, the College and related Seminary were moved to Erbil in 2007.  A new College and Seminary were built in 2008 and classes now are filled to capacity. 

As I am sure most of you know from the news, on 31 October 2010, 58 people, including 51 hostages and 2 priests, were killed after an attack on Our Lady of Salvation Syrian Catholic church in Baghdad.  A group affiliated to Al-Qaida, Islamic State for Iraq, stated that Christians were a "legitimate target."  You may also remember that weeks after that event, a series of bombings and mortar attacks targeted Christian-majority areas of Baghdad, in one case killing a woman who was a hostage and had survived the attack on Our Lady of Salvation.  

There are thousands of examples of overwhelming suffering among Iraqi Christians.  Two come to my mind here that I would like to tell you about. 

One is the story of the father of a teacher in our kindergarten in Ankawa.  Last year Mr. Dahan was the first of at least eight Iraqi Christians killed in Mosul prior to the elections.  The abduction that ended in his death was the second time he had been kidnapped. Two years before, he had been abducted, beaten and stuffed in the trunk of a car until the family could collect the $5000 ransom.  

The family says that after he returned the first time, they didn’t leave Mosul because their father would not move. “Our father said, ‘if all of us Christians leave, who is going to stay in the land of the prophets and pray in our churches?’ " "He said, ‘we were all born in Mosul and we will die in Mosul.’ ”

A second story is about my friend Father Mazen from Qaraqosh.  Father Mazen was kidnapped 4 days after he had been ordained a priest.  He was released but a year later armed men entered his home and killed his father and two brothers in front of his mother and sister in law.   Despite this tragedy, Father Mazen serves the displaced families in his congregation in Qaraqosh with unfaltering faith. 

As I mentioned, there are thousands of examples of such senseless injury and killing.  The grief and sorrow in our congregations is palpable, where not one person has been uneffected by tragedy since 2003.  Moreover, each family has suffered decades of losses from the Saddam regime, the sanctions prior to the occupation, the devastation of the Gulf War as well as the Iran/Iraq War.  Iraqis are a people who have experienced immense suffering but who are also strong, resilient and prepared to claim their right to existance.

Christian Internal Displacement, Migration and the Diaspora

The Kurdistan region, overall, has been a relocation site for over 55,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) from other cities in Iraq in the past 7 years.  The population has grown significantly since the military events of 2003. 

More recently, following the systematic intimidation and violence prior to the elections in 2010 and after the church bombing, about 4000 Christian families fled Iraq’s cities to Erbil.  Probably twice this have move from both Baghdad and Mosul City into the Nineveh Valley, an area to the north where life is relatively safer and more affordable. 

Over the past 8 years our Erbil Diocese Immigration Committee has registered over 3000 families displace by conflict.  Not all families register so we know this is an under estimate of the size of those who have moved.  But as you can see the situation has worsened 2011 as we are only now in March.

Most of the families we have registered come from Baghdad and Mosul.

Decades of conflict and recent traumatic incidents have severely affected the overall well being of Church families in all of Iraq but Mosul, itself, has been devastated.   In the last 5 years, the population of the Mosul Chaldean Diocese has decreased from 29,000 to 13,000.  Because the Mosul Diocese is just next to the Erbil Diocese, we feel the effects of their needs directly.

Before 2003 there were 11 active Chaldean parishes in Mosul diocese, now there are only 5.  Three of the remaining parishes in the older part of Mosul have only between 25 to 50 remaining families.  Most of them live under extreme security risks and do not venture far from their homes daily. 

At this time, there are about 2,800 original families remaining in parishes in the Mosul diocese.  Six parishes have closed in the recent seven years as thousands of families have been forced out of Mosul to its surrounding towns and villages through violent intimidation and death. In just the past few months, well over 600 families made their way from Mosul to Nineveh valley villages, many in fear of their lives.

In addition, at least 400 families have recently migrated into Nineveh Governorate from Baghdad, also because of intimidation.     

Moving from a home of generations to seek security, of quitting one’s employment, and taking the children from their schools is not a decision made easily.  It is also impossible to stay on the move in Iraq searching for an affordable home, for work, and for safety, while waiting for your own city to become safe.  It is probable that Iraqis facing such decisions will be preparing to leave their historical Christian homeland in the near future if they cannot find the security they need in Iraq. 

It is difficult to know exactly how many Iraqi Christians live outside Iraq, but estimates suggest that over half the population has fled the country with hundreds of thousands in Syria, Lebanon, Turkey, and Jordan. At least a million more Iraqis live in the US, the United Kingdom, the European Union,  Australia, and many other countries. 

The Current Situation of Need for Christians in Iraq

Iraqi families who immigrate out of Iraq are facing significant challenges.  Professionals trained and accredited in Iraq to practice medicine, law, and other professions, find themselves working in unskilled labor.  The cost of living, health care, education and survival has taken such a toll on some families, that they find themselves accepting financial help from family members here in Iraq. 

Moreover, international resettlement policies are uncoordinated so that many families are fragmented.  Parents have settled in Europe, while some of their children are in Canada, others children are in Australia and others, refused resettlement, are left in Iraq, Jordan or Syria.

In Erbil, once our Church leaders are assured that our families are safely relocated, we have three main goals to assist them.  First of all we want to provide stability via employment and affordable housing, secondly we want to be sure that families have access to good education and medical care and thirdly, and most importantly, we want a vibrant living Church to support the social and spiritual needs of our families.

We are working hard to make these things happen, but the resources of Erbil and its neighboring Dioceses have been stressed because of the high influx of people over this short period. Erbil Diocese has grown by over 30% with churches, schools, health care facilities, housing and basic infrastructures feeling the burden. 

Schools average 35-45 children per class, running in two shifts a day.  Moreover, housing costs have skyrocketed as local homeowners have raised rents 200-300% to take advantage of the housing demand. 

Nineveh Valley has accepted thousands of families over the recent years from Mosul, Kirkuk and Baghdad, but this politically disputed region is in a state of high tension seen between the displaced and the host communities.  Moreover, in the villages around Mosul there just isn’t enough housing or employment available for so many displaced.   

At this time, diocese leaders are raising funds from inside the communities and donor organizations such Aid to Church in Need to build new churches and to restore old and damaged ones.  Classrooms are being built and restored in all our churches to be used for Catechism classes and community education. 

Relocated families need to be educated in the Kurdish language and retrained for employment in the region.  Children need to be tutored as they catch up with classes having interrupted their schooling during displacement.

A new Catholic primary school building has recently been funded to ease the burden of public education in the area.  Church leaders are looking to construct low cost housing for displaced families as a long-term investment against rising land values. Diocese leaders also continue to search for development investments to stimulate the job economy and to employ displaced family members. 

With many problems facing Iraqi Christians, the greatest concern of Diocese leaders is that there are enough strong parishes prepared to assist families as they continue to readjust to their lives; displaced from their jobs, homes, and extended networks. There is concern that if families are not assisted effectively and not embraced by the community, that we will lose them from the Church and to immigration outside of Iraq. 

Lastly we want the presence of the Christians Church to be apparent by a vibrant and active parish life symbolized by physical church buildings and obvious public spaces.  We do not want to hide our faith or identity out of fear for our lives. We want to be seen and remembered by all Iraqis; those who threaten us, but moreover those willing to stand in solidarity with us.

We thank Aid to the Church in Need for your solidarity with us.   We thank, your generous and kind hearted donors and those who have prayed with us and for us these past years of our struggles.

There is a Novena to the Holy Spirit for Christians in Iraq and the Middle East on the Aid to Church in Need Website and I would like to lead you in that prayer now.

“Renew your wonders in this our day as by a new Pentecost” – Pope John XXIII

Father, pour out your Spirit
upon your people,
and grant us
a new vision of your glory,
a new experience of your power,
a new faithfulness to your word, and
a new consecration to your service,
that your love may grow among us,
and your kingdom come:
through Christ our Lord.
Amen

God the Holy Spirit,
Comforter and Sanctifier.
Melt our hearts
that we may accept your love.
Renew our minds
that we may know your truth.
Strengthen our wills
that we may serve you faithfully.
Through Christ our Lord.
Amen

Prayer for protection
Holy Michael, the Archangel,
defend us in the day of battle;
be our safeguard against the wickedness
and snares of the devil.
May God rebuke him, we humbly pray;
and do thou,
O prince of the heavenly host,
by the power of God
thrust down to hell Satan,
and all other evil spirits
who wander through the world
seeking the ruin of Souls.
Amen
Our Father, who art in Heaven...
Hail Mary, full of grace...
Glory be to the Father...

There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:

a time to be born and a time to die,

a time to plant and a time to uproot,

a time to kill and a time to heal,

a time to tear down and a time to build,

a time to weep and a time to laugh,

a time to mourn and a time to dance,

a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,

a time to embrace and a time to refrain,

a time to search and a time to give up,

a time to keep and a time to throw away,

a time to tear and a time to mend,

a time to be silent and a time to speak,

a time to love and a time to hate,

a time for war and a time for peace.