Targeting Cardinal Sako Means Targeting Christians in General
Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako
Al-Qaeda group has kidnapped many Christians among whom were priests. Paying ransom to release them did not quench the fire of their hatred, so they killed a bishop and a number of priests. However, Iraqi Christians still remember the bombing of Our Lady of Deliverance Church of the Syriac Catholics, where 48 worshipers, including two priests were killed during Sunday Mass on 10/31/ 2010. At that time, the tragedy did not “move” the officials of the Iraqi government, except for “restoring” the Church, no investigation committees were formed, as if we were Like sheep led to slaughter (Isaiah 53: 7)!
Unfortunately, before the wounds of the first scenario were healed, they surprised us with a 2nd scenario whose “soldiers” were (ISIS) who imposed chaos in the city of Mosul and the towns of Nineveh Plain, displacing Christians out of their homes in the night of 6/7 August 2014. Again, the Iraqi government showed no interest in extending a hand to Christians, which prompted, in both cases, more than a million of them to immigrate looking for safety, dignity and freedom.
In such painful conditions and for being cut off from their roots, Christians wept, shed tears, and cried out for protection and their rights, but no “response”. The Church was the only one who jumped in, to cure their wounds, and tried to provide support by all means, as well as the honest Iraqis who shed tears with Christians, sharing their anxiety, showing solidarity by encouraging them to stand firm and remain on their homeland so that Iraq would not lose its indigenous inhabitants, native people who built their country, raised its name high forming the most brilliant colors of its unique national fabric.
It is with great regret that Christians today are “screaming” again, deep from their painful hearts, because they found themselves “trapped” in a third scenario, in which His Excellency the President of the Republic of Iraq (Dr. Abdul-Latif Rasheed) is involved, whose legal responsibility did not prevent him from stabbing Christians in their back, arguing that it happened under a pressure from a “well-known group”. Iraqi President targeted, the Head of the Chaldean Church, His Beatitude Patriarch Louis Raphael Card. Sako, the symbol of integrity and patriotism, along with His Beatitude they targeted the remaining Christian community in Iraq. Nevertheless, this is another way to silence Christians, displace them and seize their properties, as happened to the Jewish community seventy years ago.
The demand of Iraqi Christians today is what Patriarch Sako, along with most of other Church Leaders demanded, include:
- Returning the withdrawn Republican Decree (147) rather than withdrawing decrees from the rest of Church leaders, since it was issued constitutionally and gained the validity of legitimacy. Hence, things returned to normal.
- Departing of “Babelyoon Militia” from Nineveh Plain: Qaraqosh – Al-Hamdaniya and Tel Kaif, so that the Iraqi Federal Police will ensure security in these areas.
- Restricting the votes for Christian quota among Christian community only, as is the case in the Islamic Republic, in order to elect whomever, they deem capable of representing them in the Iraqi Parliament.
Otherwise, we will present our case to the International Court and launch a global campaign by sending delegations to different countries, clarifying our case to gain their solidarity and support.
If our demands are not met, we will boycott the elections.