Iraqi Bishops to address European Parliament

(December 10, 2010) A delegation of Iraqi bishops will address the European Parliament in Strasbourg, France about the situation of Christians in their country. "We want Europe and the West to put pressure on the Iraqi government to guarantee the rights of Christians and of religious minorities," explained Syrian Catholic Archbishop Georges Casmoussa of Mosul. He stressed that Christians don’t want to flee and abandon Iraq, but want to continue living there in peace. He expressed gratitude to countries prepared to welcome fleeing Iraqi Christians but said that was not the solution. Archbishop Casmoussa pointed out that real help to Christians in Iraq would be to guarantee them security to be able to profess their beliefs freely and to frequent places of worship without fear. The bishops' initiative to go to Strasbourg is part of a series of actions geared to making the public and international institutions aware of the anti-Christian violence in Iraq.