Attached is a letter jointly signed by His Holiness, Patriarch Aphrem, head of the Syriac Orthodox Church, and His Beatitude, Patriarch Younan of the Syriac Catholic Church. The letter commemorates the second anniversary of the Islamic State’s capture of Mosul and the Christian towns on the Nineveh Plain in Iraq. Most of the Christians who were forced to flee the Islamic State and now live in the Kurdistan Region belong to one of these two denominations (See map).
The two Christian leaders “strongly denounce the absence of serious actions [on] the part of the international community and the Iraqi government to step up the liberation of Mosul and the villages of the Nineveh Plain from the terrorist groups.” Indeed, the recapture of Mosul has been frustratingly delayed, although today (June 15) brings news of the recapture of yet another village (Nasr) on the Nineveh Plain. Progress is being made, and we are confident that the fight for Mosul itself will occur this year, and that Christians will begin returning home this year.
Patriarch Aphrem of the Syriac Orthodox Church Left) and Patriarch Younan of the Syriac Catholic Church Right).
As important as the substance of the letter of the two Patriarchs is this demonstration of their collegiality. The Christian Church in Syria is principally administered by the five Patriarchs of Antioch, of whom Aphrem and Younan are two. I have been told “there is no space between the Patriarchs” on issues pertaining to the future of Syria. Those who say Christians cannot agree among themselves, and use this as an excuse to exclude them from peace negotiations, are simply wrong.
Please find the full text of the statement below as well as a pdf of the document:
Please find a PDF version of this Statement here.
Two years passed since the uprooting of our Syriac people from the land of our ancestors in Mosul and the Nineveh Plain, following the criminal act which amounts to an ethno-religious genocide, committed by Daesh (ISIS) and other terrorist groups which consider infidels all those who do not share their religion or believe in their confessional doctrines.
On June 10, 2014, our people were forced to leave Mosul. One the eve of August 7 of the same year, the uprooting continued and our people were forced to leave Qaraqosh, Bartelly, Bahzani, Bashiqa, Telosqof, Al-Qosh, Karamlis, and other villages and towns of the Nineveh Plain. They became refugees and homeless in the Kurdistan region of Iraq and the neighboring countries of Lebanon, Jordan and Turkey.
Today, two years after the calamity that was brought upon our people, the decision-making countries and the international community remain silent and inactive towards the ethnic cleansing of a historical people who founded the civilizations of the area. We are the descendants of the martyrs who defended their faith, land and honor. They witnessed to the point of shedding their blood for its sake.
We welcome the decision of certain countries to recognize these terrorist acts as a genocide against Christians and other ethnic and religious minorities. However, we strongly denounce the absence of serious actions from the part of the international community and the Iraqi government to step up the liberation of Mosul and the villages of the Nineveh Plain from the terrorist groups. They destroyed our churches and monasteries, particularly the monastery of St. Behnam and Sarah where the tomb of the saint was bombed. They stole the properties and possessions of our people, spreading the darkness of death, destruction and moral degradation.
Please find a PDF version of this Statement here.
Open your hearts to our efforts to continually aid those who have been forced from their homes in Mosul:
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