Rome, Italy, Sep 29, 2017 / 12:21 am (CNA/EWTN News).- During a conference on rebuilding Christian villages on the Plains of Nineveh, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Pietro Parolin said Christians are an essential part of Iraqi society, and must strive to be witnesses of peace true reconciliation.
One of the greatest challenges in Iraq right now is “to restore to the Christian communities the environment of a normal life, essential for all the families in overcoming fear and despair, and looking to the future with hope,” Cardinal Parolin said in his Sept. 28 speech.
The rebuilding of houses and villages, he said, “is the first and fundamental condition for the return of Christians to their own lands.”
However, beyond the rebuilding of cities and structures, Parolin said “there is the more important obligation of reconstructing Iraqi society and consolidating a harmonious and peaceful coexistence.”
“Here, Christians have the specific position to be artisans of peace, reconciliation and development,” he said.
And this mission, he added, is made all the more important in the context of current regional instability and “urgently demands a process of national reconciliation and shared effort by all parts of society to achieve shared solutions for the good of the whole country.”
Cardinal Parolin was one of seven panelists participating in a half-day symposium organized by the pontifical organization Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) on efforts to rebuild Christian towns and villages on the Nineveh Plains.
In addition to Parolin, other speakers included Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, international president of ACN and prefect of the Congregation for Clergy; Archbishop Alberto Ortega Martin, apostolic nuncio to Iraq and Jordan; and Chaldean Patriarch of Baghdad Luis Rafael Sako, among others.
During the symposium, one of ACN’s reconstruction projects, titled “Iraq, return to the roots,” was presented. From 2014-2017, the project has financed various programs for Christians in Iraq, amounting to an approximate total of 30 million euro.
Among the structures destroyed or damaged since the ISIS invasion of the Nineveh Plains in 2014, it is estimated that some 13,000 homes, schools, hospitals and religious buildings were completely or partially destroyed.
The project, with a total estimated cost of $250 million, aims to continue providing a concrete response to Christians from the Nineveh Plains who want to return to their homes.
In his speech, Cardinal Parolin noted the significance of the fact that the project draws participation from the three main Christian Churches in Iraq: the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Syriac-Catholic Church and the Syriac-Orthodox Church, each of which had representatives present at the meeting.
“May the cooperation between Churches be a tangible sign of unity in charity,” the cardinal said, and thanked the bishops for their “generous commitment,” urging them “to spare no effort before overcoming the sources of tension between the various communities in order to obtain a renewed unity.”
“Such a witness of Christian unity is made all the more urgent and necessary by the complex situation that the country faces and the real danger of loss of the Christians and the Christian presence,” he said.
In addition to the challenges posed by violent extremism, the region has also undergone new threats to social stability with a Sept. 25 referendum held by the Kurdish Regional Government on whether to declare independence from the central Iraqi government in Baghdad.
In the referendum, Kurds voted almost unanimously in favor of the referendum, prompting concern on the part of some that a declaration of independence would lead to war between Baghdad and Kurdistan, which would likely take place on the Nineveh Plains, again putting Christians in harm’s way.
In his speech, Cardinal Parolin stressed the need to work for unity, saying one of the greatest challenges in Iraq right now is “to create the social, political and economic conditions to enable a new social cohesion which favors reconciliation and peace.”
This also entails ensuring Christians and other minorities have full rights, he said. Christians do not want to simply be “benignly tolerated,” but want “to be citizens whose rights are protected and guaranteed along with all the other citizens,” he said.
And without the option of returning to the cities and villages of their birth, “very little of the aforementioned would be possible.”
“Christian presence is fundamental in the Middle East for peace, stability and pluralism,” he stressed. “Each of the Christian communities have made their own contribution in the centuries.”
The presence of Christians is in “constant decline” due to a lack of security and an unclear future, Parolin said, adding that the conflicts and tensions of recent years have made the situation worse, posing a risk “not only for the survival of Christians, but also for the very possibility that the Middle East can be a place of coexistence between peoples of different religious and different ethnic groups.”
He stressed the importance of safeguarding the rights of Christians by means of “adequate juridical instruments,” including their right to return home, their right to security and to religious freedom.
“There is likewise a need to address the root causes of the phenomenon of terrorism and to promote inter-religious dialogue, mutual understanding,” he said, noting that while “much has been done” since the effort to re-take Mosul began a year ago, “much remains to be done.”
“The process of reconstruction (and) the return of Christians to a degree of normality in their lives should be the primary and urgent objective of our efforts,” he said.
This, Cardinal Parolin added, “will allow the Christian community in new force to face up to other challenges that await them, so that they can be fully and generously engaged in working for the common good of the entire nation.”
In his speech, which was a joint statement from the patriarchs of the three Christian Churches in the region, Patriarch Sako said that in the face of the Christian genocide perpetrated by ISIS, “it is our duty” to reconstruct the houses and villages of Christians.
Their presence in these areas, he said, “is as important as maintaining witnesses of Gospel values, otherwise, they will leave the country.”
In order to help Christians stay, he stressed the need for educational and political support, humanitarian assistance, the defeat of fundamentalism, and security and stabilization of the areas freed from ISIS so that those displaced by the group can return home.
“Iraqi Christians need well-defined support and strong action to save them and help them return to their towns, homes and jobs,” he said, urging those in positions of authority to be “seriously open-minded.”
In many ways, Iraqi culture is still deeply “tribal,” Sako said, and as such is frequently drawn to war, violence and revenge.
Going into the future, “we need to be trained to live in peace, respecting life and living in harmony together despite our religion or ethnicity,” he said.
He also pushed for a swift stabilization of areas recently liberated from ISIS, saying this sense of security is “essential” in ensuring both the “rapid return” of those who have been displaced, and long-term protection.
When it comes to putting an end to terrorism in the region, the patriarch stressed that a military victory over ISIS “does not mean all of the problems have been solved.” This, he said, is because the extremist ideology continues to present “a fundamental problem and risk for us all.”
“Therefore, it is urgent for all who are concerned to work together for dismantling and eradicating the extremists’ widespread ideology,” he said, explaining that this can be possible through adequate educational programs.
Patriarch Sako closed his address saying Christians in Iraq “love our land, where our root traces back to thousands of years and we want to stay and contribute in the reconstruction of our country.”
“Christians also have not only problems and sufferings; they have a mission in Iraq,” he said, explaining that they want to stay faithful to Christ and understand faith as a journey “into the light that can ‘point the way.’”
“It is like a lamp that burns and turns into a joy, that brightens our night,” he said, and “with this faith we can overcome fears by daily prayers while we are awaiting our blessed hope.”
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Given that “in the past” means “before the situation was publicized by the media last month,” how can the Jesuits and the bishops expect their protestations of remorse to be taken seriously?
The first gesture must be to scrap this man’s art, or at the very least, remove it from all consecrated buildings.
Sure, his art is the product of a gift from God, but he has tarnished this gift by dragging his priestly vocation into the gutter.
His art will always therefore be a monument to himself and the property of his master, the great deceiver.
Furthermore, many believe his art is grossly overrated in any event. The church cannot be that hard up for art and artists, can it?
The church cannot forgive him his violations – only his victims can!
He can seek forgiveness through the confessional, but this a private matter.
If the church (institutional) isn’t prepared to hand down justice for his crimes, it should hand him over to the local, civilian authorities so he can answer before the law of the land.
God didn’t found His Church for it to become a refuge for serial, sexual predators!
I whole-heartedly agree with all you’ve said. And may all who have suffered, be healed, and protected by Jesus’ Divine LOVE. WHICH NO MAN CAN TAKE AWAY.
Through it all, Papa gives Rupnik a warm greeting and asks him in for a chit chat! Protecting the flock?
How wonderful that he is a talented artist. Jesus did not ask us to be talented but said “if you love me, keep my commandments.” More hypocrisy from the Jesuits. The Rainbow Jesuit alone must have Saint Ignatius Loyola in heavenly tears!
1. Suppress the Jesuits
2. Demote all voting-eligible Cardinals and start again to fill the vacant slots.
3. Ask for the resignation of all bishops and fill the vacancies accepted by the Pope with priests faithful to the total Magisterium of the Church.
4. Pray that the Holy Spirit might fill the minds and hearts of all the Faithful.
With respect, items 2 and 3 make no sense as long as Francis is still the Pope.
“In March 2020, he gave one of the annual Lenten sermons to the Roman Curia and Pope Francis.”
That last sentence says *so* much.
You can look at Rupnik’s work online.
I find it about as inspiring as those big-eyed waifs from the sixties painted by Margaret Keane.
Very true. I wonder if Francis had audiences with Rupnik and James Martin on the same day or different days (eye roll)? It would be comic if it wasn’t so tragic. More like circling the wagons than protecting the flock.
“ More like circling the wagons than protecting the flock.”
As a reader I note the ease that you Athanasius makes such a statement regarding Pope Francis all the while protesting venomously when the slipper is on the other foot with regards to Cardinal Pells leadership responsibilities with the Australian Church. I also note the nature of supporting material, or rather the absence of, with respect to your comment. It seems to me the issue of abuse is not your primary focus but rather what side of the ecclesiastical divide is implicated. In good faith I invite you to show me orhwise.