Fruits of ‘courageous’ papal visit to Iraq already being felt

Pope Francis is working to break a perspective that religion is connected to violence, writes Chai Brady

The Pope has been a leading light when it comes to interreligious dialogue – breaking down barriers in the Middle East – and when it comes to his visit to Iraq, he gave new hope in an area that was rife with conflict, much of which has been connected with religious divisions.

The March 5-8 trip made waves around the world and drew the attention of international media to a country which is often connected to violence and war. It was the first time a Pope has ever visited Iraq, a country which is the birthplace of Abraham, the patriarch of the three great monotheistic religions but in recent years, due to atrocities perpetrated by the so-called Islamic State, there has been a mass exodus of Christians. Over the past 20 years more than one million Christians have fled.

Speaking to The Irish Catholic, the Archbishop of Erbil, Bashar Matti Warda CSsR, a Redemptorist who trained in Dundalk, Co. Louth, said the visit not only brought joy to Christians but hugely impressed the general public.

“The public was really impressed with the guest of peace, his humble spirit, his ability to smile, some gestures here and there that were really very touching to them and at the same time we know, because the public media paid a lot of attention to his way of life and his visits, speeches, being really very concerned about the poor and the marginalised and the way he lives – not in a palace – all of these facts make Iraqis really aware of his personality,” Archbishop Warda said.

“Second, when he was here also, the general feeling was that this is a historical moment because the world is watching us, for the first time the world is seeing images different from what they are used to seeing in Iraq, there’s not war, no violence, no sectarian conflicts, no political disputes, it’s images of people shouting dancing, praying.”

As part of the Pope’s visit, he went to the Syriac Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Deliverance, sometimes referred to as Our Lady of Salvation, which is now a shrine to 48 Christian martyrs who were killed on October 31, 2010, when militants laid siege to the church, detonating explosives and shooting people; 48 Catholics – including two priests – died inside and more than 100 people were wounded.

Reminded

Archbishop Warda said: “Various Christian stations reminded us why he was at the Church of Our Lady of Deliverance because there was a massacre in 2010 and out of this massacre there is still hope and people are still alive there who are committed to continue the service, adjusting.”

Shortly after the Pope returned to Rome, Archbishop Warda said the prime minister of Iraq was very complimentary about the spirit of the visit.

Regarding the political feedback, the archbishop said: “When it comes to the fruit of the visit, the prime minister announced because of the spirit of joy and tolerance that accompanied His Holiness, let’s have a national dialogue to set apart all our political disputes and really make benefit of this historical moment and historical visit, that was a call from the prime minister, specifically mentioning the spirit of His Holiness visit.

“You could say well, we made a contribution as Christians. That’s why I’ve said to myself, don’t underestimate yourself at all, don’t say we are few people, if you believe in yourself you can bring the whole world with you and around you. Yes, we were delighted. Some other political figures have welcomed the call of the prime minister which means welcoming also the spirit of the visit.”

Speaking of the influence of young Iraqi Christians on the papal trip, Archbishop Warda said: “Believe me, what I’ve seen over the last month from the young people was really a miracle. We are not really specialists or experts in organising big events. We don’t have organisational companies; we have done it ourselves. We have learned in the spirit of joy and hospitality how to prepare for this.”

He described the work of 300 young Christians who had just one month to prepare as “inspirational”. This includes learning the Latin Rite for the Pope’s visit, as the Chaldean Church practices the Eastern Rite.

Dialogue

Interreligious dialogue is not about sitting around a table discussing issues, said Archbishop Warda and the Pope is living and teaching a model that is about leaving comfort zones and reaching out to people.

“It’s a journey that he started in Egypt and Abu Dhabi… meeting all the important figures of Islam. That is really a very ethical decision to take: I will leave my space where I’m comfortable and go to the other space, be at his hospitality, no matter how he is going to receive me or not. That is very courageous, it is not just an ethical but a courageous decision,” the archbishop said.

“Then going to Ur, reminding us all that we are all brothers of Abraham and then of course Mosul and Nineveh Plains, getting the world to know that much needs to be done concerning rebuilding.”

Terrorism

The phenomenon of Islamophobia, Archbishop Warda said, has grown particularly in the western world and is leading people to think religion is the cause of violence.

“Everyone is saying that religion is the cause of violence, religion is the cause of terrorism. What he is doing by meeting all of these religious representatives is telling the whole world ‘we cannot kill in the name of God’ and that religion cannot be a source of violence. In fact, he is really helping Islam, helping all of the religious people, all the religions, giving them a new face, with the commitment they all have to fight violence and fight terrorism,” he said.

“I’ve said it to Muslims here, ‘if you understand, it’s not about evangelisation it’s about you all as well’. Because everyone now, especially when you go to Europe, to America, to all of these Western countries, they are convinced, most of them, that the source of all violence is religion. So it’s better not to have religion.

“Here he is coming and saying, wait, no, we cannot kill in the name of God and religion has always been about valuing the humanity of the person. That’s another way of really approaching, not just religious people, but also other people.”

The ongoing process of rebuilding and offering homes for Christians who have been displaced due to extreme violence and persecution is a challenge, Archbishop Warda admits, but the Pope has given renewed hope to Iraq’s Church.

He said that those who are in the country will probably return to their homes “if something serious will be done”.

“Those who left and made it to America and other countries, this is really very difficult. But those who are still in the country, yes. Right now, for example in Erbil, I have 2,500 families from Mosul and Nineveh Plains still not able to go because they think it’s not secure, it’s not safe, their houses are not built. A lot of these issues are still there so probably they will find it very hard and very difficult to go but still the Pope is trying to tell the world to listen, we can do something here. He said thank you to all the people and organisations who have contributed but much is needed to be done as well.”

Not forgotten

“I said it in my final thanks to His Holiness, “You told us that we are not forgotten, persecuted but not forgotten, sometimes people, even when it comes to NGOs, they are tired because there is so much help needed but the presence of the Christians made it clear to the people who were helping and still helping that their help is making a difference. Still we have Christians here, despite all the difficulties, because you have cared a lot for the Christians – so still we have Christians. I think yes we are not forgotten, the visit showed that quite clearly.”

The Church in Iraq’s main task in 2014 was to provide a dignified way of living to internally displaced persons (IDPs) who were scattered in 26 camps. They were helped by a variety of charities, Churches and more including Aid to the Church in Need, the Knights of Columbans, bishops’ conferences around the world and the Chaldean Church.

They were able to start providing food, closing camps and renting houses to provide a dignified way of living for the families, while also providing medical assistance and subsequently building schools. “It lasted for three years and then when the liberation happened the whole focus was about rebuilding houses not churches, we decided as bishops to build houses, renovate houses before doing any work on churches, they would be the last on the list,” the Archbishop Warda said.

“And then people started themselves to renovate churches and then ACN had a special programme with donors who were interested in renovating churches.”

However, the archbishop explained that the fact is there is no livelihood programmes and that in itself is a big difficulty. “Unless there are public services jobs, because no one would dare to invest in a liberated area with the presence of so many military groups, it is a disputed area,” he said.

“So livelihood programmes are missing and this is really, really going to affect the decision of the people to stay or to leave, so what we hope for after the Pope’s visit is that people would understand, if you want really for those families to stay you have to think seriously about these types of issues, like livelihood programmes, how we are going to help them.

“In our part here in Erbil, I’ve established four schools, a Catholic university of Erbil, a hospital, a project which is important for us when it comes to pastoral and the mission side, but still it’s important in a way for providing jobs, within these projects. I have 462 jobs to offer.”

Challenges

Asked about his time in Ireland with the Redemptorists, Archbishop Warda said the Church in Ireland is facing challenges – although they are different in content compared to those faced in Iraq – and is being “squeezed” and not being given “a chance to go forward”.

“I would say to our brother and sister Catholics there, yes it’s always true that we are a missionary Church, even if we are quite a subtle, institutionalised Church, but it comes to a moment where we have to be ready to evangelise and we can’t be caught by the persecution, we should not be caught also by the difficulties and challenges,” he said.

“Our Lord knew very well that he was going to Jerusalem to be crucified and he did not back up, he told them I am going but the Resurrection is there, it is quite assured. I would say there are difficulties there, challenges are there, but here we are, we have been chosen for a vocation and we have to accept it.”

Pope Francis has challenged Catholics to bring the Gospel to people in need — both geographically and in an existential world through a person’s experience of pain, suffering and indifference. Without a doubt the Pope is practicing what he preaches, his visit to Iraq is testament to this, and Archbishop Warda’s hopes are high that it will make a lasting change to the lives of the country’s Christian minority.