West has forgotten Iraq’s tragedy says Mosul archbishop

May 14, 2014: "We are confident that the Church around the world will pray for Iraq, but the West and its governments seem to have forgotten the tragedy of its people.” said Chaldean Archbishop Shimoun Emil Nona of Mosul, northern Iraq. Speaking to AsiaNews, on Tuesday, the prelate described the mood in the country and the city, where bloodshed is a daily occurrence, and where the Christian community is steadily shrinking in size. "No one is talking about us anymore," he lamented. "Yet, we hope that others will feel Iraq's plight once more and our need for peace and serenity.” In recent years, the Diocese of Mosul has mourned the violent death of its pastors. The city of Mosul itself is a stronghold of Sunni Wahhabi fundamentalism, with close ties to Saudi Arabia. In recent days, a group of militants launched an attack on a military post in a village (Ayn al-Jahish), not far from the city, another Islamist stronghold in northern Iraq, killing more than 20 soldiers. Similar incidents have taken place in the recent past targeting special units of the Iraqi security forces, and the soldiers protecting the pipeline carrying crude oil to international markets. "The situation has not changed much in the last few months," Archbishop Nona explained. "Sadly, Christians have responded and continue to respond to insecurity by leaving " he added.
Source: AsiaNews