D043 Support and Advocacy for Iraqi Christians
Resolution 2018-D063 called for congregations and dioceses to work for the protection of persecuted minorities in Iraq in partnership with the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf. Since then, the situation for Iraqi Christians and other minorities continues to be precarious, with ongoing challenges to their safety, rights, and freedoms.
The biblical city of Ur, located in Iraq, is considered the birthplace of Abraham, the father of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Iraq is home to some of the oldest continuous Christian communities on earth that still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus. In his book, "Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years,” Diarmaid MacCulloch noted: Western Christians have forgotten that before the coming of Islam utterly transformed the situation in the eastern Mediterranean and Asia, there was a good chance that the centre of gravity of Christian faith might have moved east to Iraq rather than west to Rome.
After centuries of conflict and decades of nearly continuous war, we in the Episcopal Church should commit to participating in the creation of a more prosperous, tolerant, and peaceful Iraq through advocacy, friendship, and financial assistance.
Explanation
Resolution 2018-D063 called for congregations and dioceses to work for the protection of persecuted minorities in Iraq in partnership with the Anglican Diocese of Cyprus and the Gulf. Since then, the situation for Iraqi Christians and other minorities continues to be precarious, with ongoing challenges to their safety, rights, and freedoms.
The biblical city of Ur, located in Iraq, is considered the birthplace of Abraham, the father of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Iraq is home to some of the oldest continuous Christian communities on earth that still speak Aramaic, the language of Jesus. In his book, "Christianity: The First Three Thousand Years,” Diarmaid MacCulloch noted: Western Christians have forgotten that before the coming of Islam utterly transformed the situation in the eastern Mediterranean and Asia, there was a good chance that the centre of gravity of Christian faith might have moved east to Iraq rather than west to Rome.
After centuries of conflict and decades of nearly continuous war, we in the Episcopal Church should commit to participating in the creation of a more prosperous, tolerant, and peaceful Iraq through advocacy, friendship, and financial assistance.