Christians want to stay in Iraq, nuncio says
A historically persecuted minority wants to contribute to the rebuilding of the country.
Baghdad (AsiaNews) Saturday's attack against churches "was more than a warning" against the Christian community, a community whose situation, despite claims to the contrary, was already precarious under the previous regime. Although Saddam kept a tight grip on everything and thus guaranteed security, there were episodes of persecution.
Mgr Fernando Filoni, apostolic nuncio in Iraq, remembers the times when Iraqi Christians faced difficulties and persecution. He also made it clear that they have a firm intention to build their future in Iraq. "Christians do not want to leave. They are children of this land and want to live peacefully side by side with Muslims".
Here is his interview with AsiaNews:
Your Excellency, in what state of mind are people living after last Saturday's attacks against the churches?
After these attacks and those of early August the Christian community is shaken. Not only are threats still being made, but they are turning into concrete deeds. Christians are constantly worried and in danger. Of course, all Iraqis face these difficulties but as a small minority Christians are especially vulnerable.
Was Saturday's attack just a threat or does it hide something more concrete?
It was more than a warning to the entire Christian community. We are not just facing idle threats but concrete deeds against churches of different Christian denominations.
People are scared, aren't they?
Fear is a human emotion . . . It's obvious that people are worried and afraid!
Are Christians tempted to escape or do they want to stay in Iraq?
It is not the first time that Christians are harshly attacked. Persecution is not something new; it started last century. During the First World War, hundreds of thousands of Christians were massacred. This continued especially in the north, in Kurdistan. There are also other less visible forms of persecution that have lasted to this day.
Christians have always been victimised but they are also very conscious that they are children of this land. They are not outsiders; they are not people who converted as a result of missionary activities . . . They are from this land. They are true citizens and have the right to live here.
I cannot stress more how much Christians don not want to leave Iraq, how much they want live in this land side by side with others.
But is it possible to live peacefully with Muslims?
Certainly! Everyone I talked to back in August and now, and that includes Muslims as well, has expressed solidarity towards us, said how close they feel to Christians. It is clear that these terrorist acts have nothing to do with any anything that might come between Christians and Muslims. The terrorists attacked Christians in the same way that they have attacked Muslims.
On Sunday, a child was baptised in one of the churches that was destroyed. That is a sign of hope.
One of the worse affected churches was Baghdad's Greek-Melkite church. Its priest cleared a corner to celebrate mass and perform the baptism. A small seed of hope was thus planted.
Are there other facts that assert this wish to live against the aberrant logic of death?
Even grand ayatollah al-Sistani expressed his solidarity towards Christians in these difficult times. For our part, we intend to meet Muslim leaders to express our friendship on the occasion of Ramadan and discuss problems that might exist between us. Of course, this applies to Muslims who are open to dialogue and the exchange of ideas and excludes those who use terrorism to make life impossible.
How can we fight this logic of death and violence?
It is certain that we cannot fight terrorism by our own acts of terrorism. This is beyond our logic.
We must instead create ties based on mutual understanding that show how terrorism cannot prevail over the will to live together peacefully. Moreover, all the weapons at our disposal are spiritual in nature, like prayer. We must also keep channels of communication open with the institutions that protect the general public.
What role can Christians play in the rebuilding Iraq?
The role they have always played in the history of the country. History shows that Christians have made their own cultural, religious and economic contributions to the reconstruction of the country. Their dynamism helped this country prosper and now all we have to do is start again as soon circumstances allow us.
For what kind of future?
First of all, peace must be guaranteed so that life can go back to normal. All political groups can make their contribution to this goal. Afterwards, we can address other problems such as rebuilding the moral and civil foundations of human and cultural relations and everything else that goes into normalising the life of the country.
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