Mags Gargan“All signs of the presence of Christians and the practice of the Faith have been obliterated”
The Archbishop of Dublin has written to the priests of his diocese asking for special prayers at Mass this Sunday for Christians being persecuted to the point of extinction in Iraq.
Asking parishes to join him “in prayer and solidarity with our fellow Christians and Catholic brethren in the Syrian and Chaldean traditions”, Archbishop Diarmuid Martin writes of his concern at “the dramatic situation that has taken place in Mosul, Iraq, in recent weeks”.
Obliterated
He said Christians have been expelled and “all signs of the presence of Christians and the practice of the Faith have been obliterated”.
The archbishop has suggested two prayers of the faithful to be included for next Sunday Masses:
* Let us hold in prayer the Christians of Mosul, an ancient city of faith in Iraq, who are cruelly oppressed at this time on account of their faith. May the Lord send justice, healing and peace into this most difficult of circumstances.
* Let us pray for refugees, like the peoples of Mosul and Syria, forced by violence to abandon their homes because of their Christian faith: that they may find from the international community a generous welcome and the protection of their rights.