WASHINGTON, DC – Bashar Warda, a bishop of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Irbil, urged Christians to take part in the struggle for a ‘multiracial Iraq’ under a constitution that does not abide by Shariah laws and respect for religious freedom. Speaking to Rep. Jeff Fortenbury, a Republican from Nebraska at the US Congress, on Tuesday about the future of Iraq. The Metropolitan made his stand clear in the context of months of mass agitation against the corruption of the Iraqi government and Iran’s influence in the country.
The archbishop repeated the demand for an early election. The Church supports the protest demanding ‘change’. The Metropolitan encouraged the whole community, especially the youth, to participate in the struggle for a united multiracial Iraq in which Christians can live with equal rights and dignity. The Metropolitan said that the majority of the youth involved in the campaign against corruption were young people. He also revealed that around 200,000 people had gathered in Baghdad last week.
The protest should not be just for one community. It should be for an Iraq that embraces everyone and respects the country’s rich and rich heritage. In an interview with the Catholic News Agency, the archbishop said earlier that the protest should be in honor of the sovereignty of the nation in the social, political and religious spheres. In a speech at the United Nations Security Council last December, the Metropolitan noted that protests were against the government’s sectarian-based constitution, which came to power after 2003.
He called for the security forces to consider the minority of Christians in Iraq, and to give special attention to Christians who fled and returned after the genocide of the Islamic State. Francis Pope also met with Iraqi President Barham Sally this Saturday to discuss developments in Iraq. The Pope and Vatican representatives have called on the Iraqi president to take action to protect the Christians who have become religious minorities.
