Archbishop Warns Christians Could ‘Vanish’ From Iraq

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A visiting Iraqi archbishop has appealed to Korean Catholics to have mercy on Christian refugees from Iraq.

During his Oct. 12-16 visit to South Korea, Chalean Archbishop Bashar Warda of Arbil spoke on the need of the Korean church to be aware to the suffering of Christians in the Middle East.

“I’m very much grateful to the Korean church offering support and prayers to the suffering Christians in Iraq. However, they are still suffering much and we need more help,” said Archbishop Warda during Mass at Myeongdong Cathedral which he presided with Cardinal Andrew Yeom Soo-jung.

“If there was no attention and prayer from churches around the world, all the Christians will vanish in Iraq,” he said.

Some 100,000 Christian refugees are now staying in Arbil Archdiocese having fled attacks by the so-called Islamic State (IS).

In March, the United Nations and the U.S. State Department ruled that the persecution of Christians by IS amounted to genocide.

As part of his stay in Korea, Archbishop Warda met students at the Catholic University of Korea and said Mass at Seoul parishes.

He also met Korean bishops including Archbishop Hyginus Kim Hee-joong of Kwangju and made visits to various church institutes including the Reconciliation and Peace Center in Paju and Aid to the Church in Need Korea.

UCA News

The Union of Catholic Asian News (UCA News, UCAN) is the leading independent Catholic news source in Asia. A network of journalists and editors that spans East, South and Southeast Asia, UCA News has for four decades aimed to provide the most accurate and up-to-date news, feature, commentary and analysis, and multimedia content on social, political and religious developments that relate or are of interest to the Catholic Church in Asia.

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