Vatican prelate voices fears for Iraqi Christians, during visit to California

July 28, 2014

The prefect of the Vatican's Congregation for Eastern Churches condemned religious violence, and offered prayers for the embattled Christians of Iraq, as he presided at the Divine Liturgy on July 27 in the Chaldean Catholic cathedral in San Diego, California.

Cardinal Leonardo Sandri said that "no religion can accept to kill God's children in the name of the same God." He voiced his fears for the Christians of Iraq, and also for those in Syria, Egypt, and the Palestinian territories.

Chaldean Bishop Sarhad Yawsip Hermiz Jammo, thanking the cardinal for his words, said that Iraqi Christians will be loyal to their faith, even if they are driven from their homeland. Recalling the example of the patriarch Abraham, he said that Chaldean Catholics will be prepared to leave their own homes, trusting in God, and go to whatever land God shows them.

 

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Further information:

• Chaldeans of Iraq: Prepare, Like Abraham, to Leave for the Land God Will Show to You (VIS)
• Cardinal Sandri: No religion can kill in the name of God (Vatican Radio)