Aid Iraq’s persecuted Christians, USCCB committee chair urges Obama administration
July 30, 2014
The chairman of the Committee on International Justice and Peace of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has urged the Obama administration to provide humanitarian assistance to Christians and other Iraqi minorities who have had to flee their homes in the wake of the advance of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.
In a July 25 letter to National Security Advisor Susan Rice, Bishop Richard Pates emphasized that the US should provide aid through non-governmental organizations.
“In a country riven by political factions, each jockeying for resources to gain power, only NGOs with a proven track record of delivering humanitarian assistance can be relied upon to actually help those most in need,” wrote the Des Moines bishop. “I ask the US government to do all that it can to provide this critical assistance to those in desperate straits and to work with other governments in an effort to stop the violence.”
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Further information:
- Bishop Pates Urges National Security Advisor Rice To Provide Humanitarian Assistance, Work With Other Government To Stop Violence In Iraq (USCCB)
- Full text of letter (USCCB)
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Posted by: unum -
Jul. 30, 2014 7:53 PM ET USA
The USCCB seems to misunderstand Christ's plan for his Church. USCCB should be calling the laity to prayer, and action to help our brothers and sisters in Christ who are being persecuted in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, and Tripoli. Instead, they seem to be asking the White House to do our job for us. There is a legitimate role for the U.S. government in diplomatic circles, but all of the resources of the Church are needed to help persecuted Christians in the Middle East.
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Posted by: Defender -
Jul. 30, 2014 10:49 AM ET USA
ISIS has already stated that, in essence, Christians are not entitled to food or anything else, which means anything done to help will only end up supporting these Islamic militants.
