Christians in Iraq are expressing fear of renewed violence after 34-year-old Hani Salim Wadi was killed Monday night in Kirkuk. The incident has sparked an atmosphere of insecurity, AsiaNews reported today. Wadi, a Christian businessman, was married with a daughter. He owned a mobile phone store downtown.

The history of Christianity in Iraq dates back to the first century AD, but since the outbreak of sectarian violence in the country following the US invasion of 2003, many Christians are fleeing their homeland and finding sanctuary in Syria. Stephen Starr reports from Damascus
 

Iraqi Christians face up to a bloody end
28 May 2010 - The Catholic Herald
After a series of horrific attacks Iraq's Christians are endangered in their last stronghold, says John Pontifex
 

A new pastoral ministry against the Iraqi exodus, terrorism and economic crisis
IRAQ » 28/05/2010

It is the most important and urgent pastoral program of the new bishop of Erbil in Kurdistan. Bishop Warduni: Facing the economic crisis. The diocese of Baghdad comes to the aid of other dioceses.

Economic aid from Kurdistan interrupted, collection money halved due to emigration of the faithful, Mgr. Warduni sets out the Chaldean Churches’ plan “to help pay the salaries of priests and catechists”.

Ankawa, May 22nd, 2010

Four people were killed and 171 were wounded Sunday when a bus convoy carrying Christian students to the University of Mosul was attacked.

MOSUL, Iraq, MAY 3, 2010 (Zenit.org)

An election victory for Iraq’s more secular parties backing Prime Minister-elect Ayad Allawi is not tempting Iraqi Christian refugees to ..
April 23rd, 2010
DAMASCUS, Syria (CNS) —
By Catholic News S…
By Michael Swan, Catholic News Service

Heart And Soul
Iraq's forgotten conflict

BBC World Service

Untold until now is the story of ‘a campaign of liquidation’ against Iraq’s religious minorities who, post invasion, have had to endure torture, killings, forced conversions and exile.

Related Links

• Iraqi Christians protest over killings (BBC News)
• Iraqi Christians' still face uncertain future (BBC News)
• Iraqi Christians' fear of exile (BBC News)
• Can Iraqis move past sectarian divides? (BBC News)
• Iraq minority rights fears grow (BBC News)

Iraqi Christians under fire
Half the refugees fleeing Iraq are Christian, dramatically reducing a presence that pre-dates Islam. Edward Stourton reports.

By Edward Stourton
Published: 03 Apr 2010

Fr Rayan Paulos Atto showed me an elaborately decorated bronze and glass case mounted on the wall near the altar of his airy modern church in Erbil. It was a reliquary, a showcase for displaying a relic of a saint or martyr – the sort of thing you might find gathering dust in the sacristy of some venerable Italian basilica.

BBC Radio 4

Iraq's Forgotten Conflict

Listen Now: (40 min)

Next on: Sunday, 17:00

Synopsis

Edward Stourton tells the story of Iraq's religious minorities, which are facing extinction from targeted killings and forced exile.

Broadcasts

1. Tue 6 Apr 2010
   20:00
   BBC Radio 4
2. Sun 11 Apr 2010
   17:00
   BBC Radio 4

Demonstration outside the UK Parliament and the Iraq Inquiry by Iraqi Christians
Ankawa.com 11th March, 2010

This week, on the 8th March, Iraqi Christians confronted Rt Hon. David Miliband,  the Foreign Secretary who had given evidence, outside the Iraq Inquiry at Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre, London, with banners : ” Where is the Safe Haven for ..

IRAQ'S CROSSROADS
Vatican radio interview Dr. Suha Rassam
03/03/2010 15.48.46

Iraqi Christians protest over killings
BBC Monday, 1 March 2010

Hundreds of Iraqi Christians have taken part in protests calling for government action after a spate of killings.

At least eight Christians have been killed in the past two weeks in the volatile northern city of Mosul.

February 2010

Pope Benedict calls for end to anti-Christian violence in Iraq

Vatican City, Feb 28, 2010 / 03:30 pm (CNA).- After the Angelus on Sunday, the Holy Father exhorted the international community to do “everything possible” to give Iraqis a future of “reconciliation and justice." His words against anti-Christian violence in Iraq were well received by Iraqi demonstrators in St. Peter's Square.

Pope Benedict XVI related the "profound sadness" he felt upon learning of the killings of Christians in Mosul last week. He added that he has followed the violent events perpetrated against unarmed victims with "great preoccupation."

The pontiff said that during the "intense meditation" of the spiritual exercises of the last week he prayed often for the victims.

"Today, I wish to unite myself spiritually to the prayer for peace and for the restoration of security, promoted by the Council of Bishops of Nineveh," he added.

Iraq's Christians demand justice
Aljazeera, Sunday, February 28, 2010


Iraqis in Baghdad and Mosul have protested a recent wave of attacks on their minority religious communities, following the murder of eight Christians in less than two weeks.

Holding olive branches and the national flag, demonstrators vented their anger on Sunday over the poor security afforded them in the wake of a series of killings.

Iraqi Government Accused of Complicity in Murders

Patriarch Warns of Coming Protests

BAGHDAD, Iraq, FEB. 26, 2010 (Zenit.org).- In a letter sent to the Iraqi prime minister, the patriarch of the Syriac Catholic Church accused the authorities of complicity with the perpetrators of the massacre of Mosul Christians.

His Beatitude Ignace Joseph III Younan, 65, sent the letter on Wednesday to Nouri al-Maliki, decrying the murder of Christians in Mosul, northern Iraq.

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Bishops in Iraq urge government to halt slaughter of Christians

Rome, Italy, Feb 26, 2010 / 01:03 pm (CNA).- Various Iraqi bishops have issued a joint message denouncing the continual wave of Islamic violence against Christians in the country, which has left five people dead in the past week. The bishops are demanding that the government take concrete steps to stop the slaughter.

In an interview with the Fides News Agency, Syrian Catholic Archbishop Georges Casmouusa of Mosul called for authorities to “fully assume responsibility for protecting the Christian presence in Mosul. International intervention is necessary to force the central and local governments to act immediately.”

The fifth and most recent victim, a 57-year-old Christian orthodox man, was found dead two days ago.

Mass Media Ignore Iraq Christian Emergency

by Edward Pentin Friday, February 26, 2010

The news has escaped much of the mass media but Christian families are leaving the northern Iraqi city of Mosul in their droves to escape a concerted campaign of violence and intimidation.

Chaldean Bishop Emil Shimoun Nona has said that Mosul is experiencing a “humanitarian emergency” and that “hundreds of Christian families” left the city Feb. 24 in search of shelter, leaving behind their homes, property, commercial activities, according to Asia News. The situation “is dramatic”, he said, and warned that Mosul could be “emptied completely of Christians”.

Pope's Profound Sorrow at Death of Christians in Iraq

VATICAN CITY, 25 FEB 2010 (VIS) - The "Osservatore Romano" today published a letter from Cardinal Secretary of State Tarcisio Bertone S.D.B. to Nouri Kamil al-Maliki, prime minister of Iraq, in which he expresses the Holy Father's concern at attacks against Christians in that country. The letter bears the date of 2 January.
 

Bishop of Mosul: humanitarian emergency. Hundreds of Christian families fleeing violence.
Mosul (AsiaNews) 25/02/2010

Mgr Nona speaks of an “unending Via Crucis”. The archdiocese helps the refugees with basic necessities, but "the situation is dramatic." The prelate will go to Baghdad to seek the intervention of the central government. Mgr Sako, archbishop of Kirkuk, will launch a "demonstration and a fast" to remember "the massacre of Iraqi Christians."

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Nuncio Decries "Endless" String of Deaths in Iraq
Urges More International Pressure

BAGHDAD, Iraq, FEB. 25, 2010 (Zenit.org).- The long list of homicides in Iraq seems endless and so much destruction of human life is horrifying, a note from the apostolic nunciature in Iraq affirmed.

The statement from the nunciature points out that Christians have often been targets, and especially the Christians of Mosul "have paid a high price, despite their unanimously recognized peaceful life."

Eight Christians have been killed in that city in just 10 days.

Five Family Members Gunned Down in Mosul

By Jerry Dykstra, Santa Ana, California -- "It was a bloody day yesterday in Mosul," an Iraqi worker of Open Doors reported today.

"In one house all the family members were killed -- five people. First the attackers drove by and shot from their car. Then they forced themselves into the house and gunned down the entire family. They even threw two bodies outside the house as a cruel warning for others."

The Open Doors worker, who needs to stay anonymous for security reasons, added: "Two brothers and the father of an Assyrian Catholic priest were murdered in their house yesterday."

During Lenten retreat, Pope prays for Iraqi Christians and peace in the country.

IRAQ - VATICAN , Baghdad (AsiaNews). 25/02/2010

Benedict XVI is closely following the situation in Iraq and the escalation of violence against the Christian community. He expresses "deep sorrow" and is near to all who suffer "through prayer and affection." A letter from the Secretary of State Card. Bertone to Iraqi Prime Minister al-Maliki made public.

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Christians fleeing Mosul as targeted murders continue

Mosul, Iraq, Feb 24, 2010 / 02:57 pm (CNA).- The Vatican communicated on Wednesday that the Holy Father reacted with "deep sorrow" upon hearing the news of the most recent killings of Christians in Iraq, which reached him while he was on his annual Lenten retreat. The Holy See had urged respect for Iraqi Christians in a January letter to country's premier, but after continuing violence Christians have started to flee the city.

Facing Extinction: Christians in Iraq
By Sonja Corbitt
25/2/2010

Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)
Islamic extremists are pushing to eliminate ancient Christian communities in Islamic lands.

Pontiff Pleas for Iraqi Christians' Safety

January Letter to Prime Minister Published

VATICAN CITY, FEB. 24, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Benedict XVI is asking the Iraqi government to increase security around places of worship; a letter to the Iraqi prime minister was published today after more Christians were killed in Mosul........

Already last week, the leader of the Archdiocese of Mosul, Archbishop Emil Shimoun Nona, told Aid to the Church in Need that if the situation does not improve, the ancient Christian community of the region will disappear.

Four Christians had been killed in as many days, and the prelate -- who at 42 is the Church's youngest archbishop -- affirmed that the city's few remaining Christians are panicked.

The situation has only worsened, however. Tuesday, three Christians of the same family were slain in Mosul, now bringing to eight the number of Christians killed in the city in the last 10 days.

Syrian Catholics Aishwa Maroki, 59, and his two sons, Mokhlas, 31, and Bassim, 25, were shot in their home.

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Christians feel heavy loss in Iraq war (Feature)

By Anne-Beatrice Clasmann Feb 24, 2010, 5:04 GMT

Baghdad - Ask Cardinal Emmanuell Delli III, patriarch of the Chaldean church in Iraq, about the murder and flight of Christians from the country and he will respond that the Chaldeans are people of peace, a people with no militia.

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Christians in Iraq Ask For Support

(23 Feb 10 - RV - Vatican Radio) The Christian leaders of Iraq are calling for the broad mobilization of the Church and the international community to save the Christian presence in Iraq.

For the first time, the leaders have joined forces in the newly founded Council of Christian Churches, that groups together the nation’s 14 Christian communities.

Chaldean Bishop Shelmon Warduni of Baghdad says Christian must remain united in the face of increasing sectarianism in the run up to national elections...
 

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Iraq: Protect Christians from Violence

23 Feb 2010 16:50:44 GMT
(Washington, DC) - Iraq's government should bolster security to protect the lives of Christians in Mosul, Human Rights Watch said today. Since February 14, 2010, five Christians have been killed in Mosul in separate attacks that appear to be politically motivated, given the country's looming national election.
 

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January 2010

Refugees of Iraq
From Wikipedia

According to UNHCR estimates, over 4.7 million Iraqis have been displaced since the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003.The humanitarian crisis in Iraq is the worst in the Middle East since Palestinians were displaced in 1948.In FY 2007, the U.S. resettled 1608 Iraqi refugees. Just one in six of all the Iraqis seeking asylum in the United Kingdom is accepted.

-----

Although Christians represent less than 5% of the total Iraqi population, they make up to 13% of the refugees now living in nearby countries. Between October 2003 and March 2005 alone, 36% of 700,100 Iraqis who fled to Syria were Assyrians and other Christians, judging from a sample of those registering for asylum on political or religious grounds.

Full Details

New Archbishop of Mosul calls persecuted Iraqi Christians to hope
Mosul, Jan 27, 2010 (CNA).

The new Archbishop of Mosul, replacing his kidnapped predecessor who died in captivity, says his mission is to give “hope and confidence” to persecuted Iraqi Christians who face bombings, killings and other pressures to leave the city, an ancient center of Christianity. The 42-year-old Archbishop Amil Shamaaoun Nona replaces Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho, who was kidnapped outside his cathedral nearly two years ago and died ten days later. The new archbishop, formerly a priest of the nearby Alqosh diocese, was installed in his cathedral on Jan. 22, about two weeks after his episcopal ordination.

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Young man wounded in new anti-Christian attack in Mosul
Mosul, 26/01/2010

Sources tell AsiaNews that the anti-Christian “persecution continues amid general indifference”. They say, “Christians live in panic” and want to leave the city, convinced that the attackers “are not ordinary criminals”. For them, the attacks hide “clear political plans”.

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A Christian businessman killed as the faithful celebrate their new archbishop
Mosul » 18/01/2010

Cold-blooded execution of a 52-year-old Syrian Catholic, married and father of two daughters. Local sources complain: a new attack to push the Christians toward the plain of Nineveh. Yesterday, Msgr. Emil Shimoun Nona, the new archbishop of Mosul, made his entry into the diocese.

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"Ethnic cleansing" continues
Mosul» 12/01/2010

Christian merchant killed as "ethnic cleansing" continues
A 75-year-old greengrocer is shot dead in front of his house. The abduction of a Christian female student is still shrouded in mystery. A wave of violence that includes attacks against churches, abductions and targeted killings of Christians is trying to force them into a mass exodus.

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Iraqi archbishop: Christians, tired of waiting, will leave country

Jan 8, 2010 , By Catholic News Service

LONDON – An Iraqi archbishop has predicted a new wave of emigration from Iraq involving Christians who have tired of waiting for their situation to improve.

Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk said many Christians taking refuge in northern Iraq were determined “to leave the country for good” after concluding that, nearly seven years after the invasion of Iraq by a U.S.-led coalition, it was still unsafe to return to their homes in the South.

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