Cardinal McCarrick: US should develop Marshall Plan to help Iraqis

August 02, 2010

Noting that “Iraqi Christians continue to be the targets of systematic violence, especially in Mosul and Nineveh,” and that Iraqi Christian communities “face potential extinction,” Cardinal Theodore McCarrick is calling upon the US to develop a policy akin to the Marshall Plan to assist Iraqi refugees and internally displaced persons.

“As a moral matter, we should not claim victory in Iraq when millions of people have lost their homes and have little hope of reclaiming them,” the retired Washington archbishop writes. “The United States has yet to announce plans for handling the humanitarian challenges that could follow withdrawal. It is our moral responsibility to do so … Such a plan should include steps to strengthen the rule of law and security within Iraq to enable Iraqis, including Christians, to remain or return. It also should include working with neighboring countries to integrate refugees in a host country or resettle them to third countries, if return is not possible.”

 

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Further information:

• Cardinal McCarrick: U.S. Troop Withdrawal From Iraq Does Not End Humanitarian Obligation (Politics Daily)