Wrapping up their annual Synod in Baghdad, the Chaldean bishops of Iraq expressed their deep concern over the impact of the war in Gaza on the entire region, and reaffirmed a two-state solution as the only way for a lasting peace. Source: Vatican News.
In a statement issued at the closing of the Synod, presided over by Patriarch Cardinal Raphael Sako, the Iraqi bishops expressed deep concern for the many conflicts raging in the Middle East, “especially in the Holy Land”.
While condemning “all forms of violence”, they urged the international community to always uphold peace and actively engage to put an immediate end to this devastating war.
According to the Chaldean bishops, the only viable solution to the decades-long Israeli-Palestinian conflict is to create two neighbouring states that live “in peace, security, stability and mutual trust”.
This stance is strongly advocated, among many others, by the Holy See, but is firmly opposed by the Israeli government, especially after Hamas’ terrorist attacks of October 7.
The statement further focused on the Christian communities living in the region. Regarding specifically Iraq, the Chaldean bishops decried the “agony” of Christians, “rooted in this land”, who, they said, “have suffered greatly in the past two decades” from deprivation of their rights, marginalisation, exclusion and illegal seizure of their properties and goods.
They recalled that this situation and ongoing abuses have forced many of them to emigrate in search of a better life.
The bishops called on the Iraqi government “to be fair in treasuring Christians” through “building confidence, enhancing national cooperation, and benefiting from their skills in developing the country”.
The Synod called on Iraqi authorities to ensure Christians enjoy the same political and civil rights as all Iraqi citizens: “We demand that their rights be fully respected as citizens with equal representation and employment, and we refuse the seizure of their properties” by some groups that claim their exclusive rights, the statement said.
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Chaldean bishops insist on two-state solution in Holy Land (By Lisa Zengarini, Vatican News)
