Catholic bishops in Iraq are due to meet next month to consider a government proposal aimed at encouraging the country’s Christian population to return.
Prior to the US-led invasion of Iraq in 2003, the Christian population stood at around 1.5 million people. However, the decades of conflict and instability that followed, whether from Saddam Hussein loyalists or extreme persecution by the so-called Islamic State led to a mass exodus. Today the Christian population of Iraq is believed to be less than a quarter of a million.
Last month Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi appealed to Iraq’s Christians to come home, promising investment in health and education, and land allocation projects.
Many reacted with scepticism, arguing that Christian grievances around discrimination, lack of political representation, and illegally confiscated land had not been addressed. At a more fundamental level some expressed concerns that the Iraqi government remained unable to provide security against militant groups.
More cynically, some noted that such offers have been made before and that the latest one may simply be an attempt to impress US President Donald Trump, who has made the protection of Christians abroad a priority for his government.
Such concerns will no doubt be on the minds of Iraq’s Catholic bishops, who will be meeting in Ankawa, in addition to fears that Iraq’s Christian community could continue declining if nothing is done.
Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Paul III Nona and Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil recently met with the Iraqi Prime Minister. During the meeting the Prime Minister reportedly said he wished Iraqi Christians would return and invest in the country, particularly in health and education.
Archbishop Warda told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that the Prime Minister’s appeal “was welcomed by the Church”.
“The Prime Minister has lived among Christians, so he knows them very well,” he said.
“He said he would love to see Christians working in health and education because he trusts them, and knows the quality of the education and the healthcare they provide.
“He told us to count on him for whatever we need, and that is very encouraging.”