Iraqi prelate welcomes Western involvement, urges UN sanction
September 16, 2014
Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako has welcomed the agreement among Western nations to intervene against the Islamic State, but has cautioned that “bombs are not a solution.”
The Iraqi prelate said that an agreement reached by 30 nations at a conference in Paris, calling for action against the Islamic State, was encouraging. But he said that any international intervention should have the formal support of the UN. He also suggested that Arab nations should be actively involved.
The Chaldean Patriarch said that he opposes bombing raids as a means of intervention because that approach always causes civilian casualties.
Patriarch Sako said that he remains deeply concerned about the Christians and Yezidis who have been driven from their homes in northern Iraq. Thousands of families remain vulnerable to new offenses by the Islamic State, he said. Also, these displaced families lack housing, and as the school year begins, there are no adequate facilities for educating their children.
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