On the other hand, as the Iraqi army, side-by-side with mobilized populations, is in the process of liberating the occupied areas, this has displaced thousands of families, putting them on the road towards an unknown future, without any on-site, organized plans to rescue them.
This being said, we strongly call on the central government in the country and the international community in order to act as soon as possible to ensure the protection of innocent civilians and to offer them the necessary assistance in lodging, food and medications; as well as taking care of thousands of students of universities and schools. As Christians, we experienced this tragedy, during the deportation of our people in Mosul and the cities of the plain of Nineveh; our suffering is still continuing being far from our homes. This is obviously a human catastrophe that cannot suffer any silence. This situation when it is prolonging, will be difficult to control and will leave negative and bad tragic impacts on the long term. Therefore, we would urge the Council of Ministers and the National Assembly deputies, in order to consider the emergency need for an extraordinary meeting to discuss this situation that threatens to deteriorate from bad to worse.
Louis Raphael I Sako
Patriarcha Babylonensis Chaldaeorum
March 9, 2015
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This statement by Patriarch Sako was made available to Aid to the Church in Need, an international Catholic charity under the guidance of the Holy See, providing assistance to the suffering and persecuted Church in more than 140 countries. www.churchinneed.org (USA); www.acnuk.org (UK); www.aidtochurch.org (AUS); www.acnireland.org (IRL); www.acn-aed-ca.org (CAN) www.acnmalta.org (Malta)
