Tweet
ASSYRIAN PATRIARCH PLEADS TO THE UNITED NATIONS ON CRISIS IN IRAQ
Assyrian International News Agency (AINA)
Aug 7 2014
Assyrian Church of the East
Posted 2014-08-07 08:33 GMT
(AINA) -- The following letter was sent by His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV,
The Patriarch of Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East,
to His Excellency Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the Unites Nations.
The grave situation which our Christian communities in Iraq are
suffering constrains me to write to Your Excellency as the Secretary
General of the United Nations Organization. I join my fellow patriarchs
and hierarchs of Christian Churches of Iraq, and in the Middle East
at large, in voicing our serious concern for the peril of our people
and faithful. This plea cannot go unheard by the United Nations!
The plight of the ancient Christian communities in Mosul, Iraq, and
its environs is a situation by now well known to Your Excellency and
to all of the member-states of the United Nations. At the outset, let
me thank you for the letter of July 20, 2014 issued by the Secretary
General's office and the follow-up letter issued by the Presidency
of the Security Council on July 21, 2014, both of which condemn in
categorical and unequivocal terms the atrocities committed against
the Christians of Iraq by the militant, fundamentalist and terrorist
Islamist group known as 'ISIS' (now, 'IS'). The destruction and havoc
which has been reeked by this lawless group upon the Christians,
and now other religious minority groups in the country, has been
documented and made known to the world.
The plight of our ancient Christian communities in Iraq, particularly
the Assyrians and the Chaldean, Syriac and Armenian communities,
has caused the forced displacement of thousands of persons. Women,
children and the elderly have left their homes and continually on the
move-from city to city, and from village to village-seeking safety
for their lives. We are informed by our prelates in Iraq that as the
present situation and conditions continue to go from bad to worse;
people are living in great fear and confusion, without any hope for
a brighter and better future. Christianity has been present in the
ancient city of Mosul, known formerly as 'Nineveh,' the capital of
the ancient Assyrian Empire, since the preaching of the very Apostles
of our Lord Jesus Christ in the first half of the first Christ century.
Today, not a Christian is present, and what's more, the ancient
churches and relics of our faith have been destroyed before the very
eyes of the major countries of the modem civilized West-indeed, before
the eyes of the world! This is a great travesty not only against the
Christian faith and its adherents, but against the ancient patrimony
of civilization of which the city of Mosul (Nineveh) has been a living
witness until very recent.
Your Excellency: the United Nations as an international body is well
aware of the anti-human and criminal acts perpetrated by the this
terrorist group known as 'ISIS' against the Christians of Iraq, and now
other against other religious minorities such as the Yezidis, ShabaIts,
Kurds as well as the Shia and non-compliant Sunni citizens of Iraq. The
world, and much less the United Nations, cannot stand by with obvious
complacency and apathy towards our plight and allow this destruction
of these peoples in Iraq. Mere statements of condemnation by the UN,
and even of the major countries of the West, are not sufficient! These
statements, though taken with gratitude, are not enough to bring an end
to these atrocities and to stop this genocide of a religious nature!
Therefore, Your Excellency, on behalf of the thousands of displaced
Christians of Iraq--the children, women and elderly--and on behalf of
those who have already paid with their lives and the blood of their
necks for their faith: I implore the United Nations to take concrete
and statutory action in a plenary session of the member-states of
the United Nations against the perpetrators of these crimes against
humanity; I implore the Security Council to take a positive vote in
favor of these persecuted Christians who are suffering a new and modem
genocide. The lives of this persecuted and oppressed people depend
upon the moral decisions of the United Nations in favor of protecting
human life and the right of each and every person to worship God and
follow his/her conscience.
Time is of the essence, Your Excellency! The United Nations must
act quickly to halt and remedy this dire and bloody situation for
the Christians in Iraq. If no concrete action is taken very soon,
then I must say that the United Nations and its member-states will
have failed in fulfilling their mandate of preserving life and peace
in the world. This would be a grave and inexcusable moral violation,
which we all pray and hope is avoided. I am ready to afford my Church's
support in meeting and/or being a part of Your Excellency's solution
to this crisis. I shall keep Your Excellency in my prayers, as you
fulfill your important mandate of moderating the United Nations. May
Almighty God grant His enduring peace throughout the world and among
all peoples.
http://www.aina.org/news/20140807043330.htm
Assyrian International News Agency (AINA)
Aug 7 2014
Assyrian Church of the East
Posted 2014-08-07 08:33 GMT
(AINA) -- The following letter was sent by His Holiness Mar Dinkha IV,
The Patriarch of Holy Apostolic Catholic Assyrian Church of the East,
to His Excellency Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General of the Unites Nations.
The grave situation which our Christian communities in Iraq are
suffering constrains me to write to Your Excellency as the Secretary
General of the United Nations Organization. I join my fellow patriarchs
and hierarchs of Christian Churches of Iraq, and in the Middle East
at large, in voicing our serious concern for the peril of our people
and faithful. This plea cannot go unheard by the United Nations!
The plight of the ancient Christian communities in Mosul, Iraq, and
its environs is a situation by now well known to Your Excellency and
to all of the member-states of the United Nations. At the outset, let
me thank you for the letter of July 20, 2014 issued by the Secretary
General's office and the follow-up letter issued by the Presidency
of the Security Council on July 21, 2014, both of which condemn in
categorical and unequivocal terms the atrocities committed against
the Christians of Iraq by the militant, fundamentalist and terrorist
Islamist group known as 'ISIS' (now, 'IS'). The destruction and havoc
which has been reeked by this lawless group upon the Christians,
and now other religious minority groups in the country, has been
documented and made known to the world.
The plight of our ancient Christian communities in Iraq, particularly
the Assyrians and the Chaldean, Syriac and Armenian communities,
has caused the forced displacement of thousands of persons. Women,
children and the elderly have left their homes and continually on the
move-from city to city, and from village to village-seeking safety
for their lives. We are informed by our prelates in Iraq that as the
present situation and conditions continue to go from bad to worse;
people are living in great fear and confusion, without any hope for
a brighter and better future. Christianity has been present in the
ancient city of Mosul, known formerly as 'Nineveh,' the capital of
the ancient Assyrian Empire, since the preaching of the very Apostles
of our Lord Jesus Christ in the first half of the first Christ century.
Today, not a Christian is present, and what's more, the ancient
churches and relics of our faith have been destroyed before the very
eyes of the major countries of the modem civilized West-indeed, before
the eyes of the world! This is a great travesty not only against the
Christian faith and its adherents, but against the ancient patrimony
of civilization of which the city of Mosul (Nineveh) has been a living
witness until very recent.
Your Excellency: the United Nations as an international body is well
aware of the anti-human and criminal acts perpetrated by the this
terrorist group known as 'ISIS' against the Christians of Iraq, and now
other against other religious minorities such as the Yezidis, ShabaIts,
Kurds as well as the Shia and non-compliant Sunni citizens of Iraq. The
world, and much less the United Nations, cannot stand by with obvious
complacency and apathy towards our plight and allow this destruction
of these peoples in Iraq. Mere statements of condemnation by the UN,
and even of the major countries of the West, are not sufficient! These
statements, though taken with gratitude, are not enough to bring an end
to these atrocities and to stop this genocide of a religious nature!
Therefore, Your Excellency, on behalf of the thousands of displaced
Christians of Iraq--the children, women and elderly--and on behalf of
those who have already paid with their lives and the blood of their
necks for their faith: I implore the United Nations to take concrete
and statutory action in a plenary session of the member-states of
the United Nations against the perpetrators of these crimes against
humanity; I implore the Security Council to take a positive vote in
favor of these persecuted Christians who are suffering a new and modem
genocide. The lives of this persecuted and oppressed people depend
upon the moral decisions of the United Nations in favor of protecting
human life and the right of each and every person to worship God and
follow his/her conscience.
Time is of the essence, Your Excellency! The United Nations must
act quickly to halt and remedy this dire and bloody situation for
the Christians in Iraq. If no concrete action is taken very soon,
then I must say that the United Nations and its member-states will
have failed in fulfilling their mandate of preserving life and peace
in the world. This would be a grave and inexcusable moral violation,
which we all pray and hope is avoided. I am ready to afford my Church's
support in meeting and/or being a part of Your Excellency's solution
to this crisis. I shall keep Your Excellency in my prayers, as you
fulfill your important mandate of moderating the United Nations. May
Almighty God grant His enduring peace throughout the world and among
all peoples.
http://www.aina.org/news/20140807043330.htm