It is good that the Archbishop of Erbil was able to say this at Franciscan University, but it is unlikely he will get much of a hearing in other Catholic circles. Pope Francis has essentially dogmatized the falsehood that Islam is a Religion of Peace. This false claim has become a superdogma in the Catholic Church to the extent that a Catholic can dissent openly and freely from every element of the Nicene Creed and any other dogma of the Catholic Church, and remain a Catholic in good standing. But if a Catholic dares to suggest that Islam is not a Religion of Peace, he will be subjected to organized campaigns from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to make sure he has no platform in Catholic circles and, if possible, anywhere else.
“Iraqi archbishop asks university community for support,” by Elisha Valladares-Cormier, Troubadour Online, February 25, 2018:
The Chaldean archbishop of Erbil, Iraq, asked the Franciscan University community for its help in building the future of the Catholic Church in Iraq during a speech Monday night at 7:30 p.m.
University students, faculty and administration filled both levels of the Gentile Gallery as the Most Rev. Bashar Matti Warda gave those assembled a call to action: help the persecuted Christians of the Middle East….
More than 125,000 Christians have been persecuted since the Islamic State began its rampage, said Warda, but despite being “scarred, battled and wounded,” the Christians are still strong in their faith.
“When a people has nothing left to lose, in some sense it is very liberating,” he said, adding later that “our faith grew stronger. … We found who we are really – we are Christians.”
Warda said that before the Islamic State persecutions began, Christians and Muslims have historically maintained a healthy “dialogue of life,” but Christians were often afraid to speak honestly about the problems with Muslims. Warda said that this is no longer the case.
“There is a crisis of violence in Islam, and for the sake of humanity, including the followers of Islam themselves, it must be addressed openly and honestly,” he said. “If there is to be any future for the Christians and religious minorities of Iraq and the Middle East, there must be a change and correction within Islam.”
Part of this honest dialogue comes from Christians living their lives as a witness to the “truth of forgiveness.” Warda called it a “vital missionary role” to provide a living example to the Muslims of a path to a world of forgiveness and peace.
So few Christians remain in Iraq – the numbers may seem small and insignificant – but the Christians are encouraged by the fact that the number of apostles was even smaller than that.
“Our faith is persecuted, but our churches are full,” the archbishop said….
WPM says
In their Moslem Utopia they fight each other to the death to see who is the true Moslem of Moslems. More Moslems are slaughter by other Moslems threw the ages then slaughter by nonbelievers. There is only one top Moslem faith all others must submit so the last one standing can go about in their mud huts, with no running water , no electricity open street sewages were their children play, living among other violent members of their clan fighting over food scraps. No nonbelievers to make things, build things, get things done ,to tax, to regulate civil laws .It will be Mohammed,s law with all the tribes of Islam proclaiming they are the best of people submit to us ,cock roaches will take over the earth if Moslems had their way .
CRUSADER says
Who is going to be calling ALL CHRISTIANS together on this, not just circling wagons with the Catholics?
Calvinists?
Calvary Churches?
LDS?
Who has the mojo?
St. Manuel II Palailogos says
In the ancient world, it was the Roman Emperor. There are no such people now. The World Council of Churches is basically as leftist as the United Nations, and as useless as well.
terry says
It is the God Almighty who is calling forth all those who love Jesus to stand in witness, in prayer, and assistance to one another; it is also he who is calling forth and making a way for all of you here on this site, as well as many others. “Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
gravenimage says
We should *all* stand together against Islam.
R Russell says
The Roman pope is expecting visitors from outer space. Formerly he said he would be willing to baptise an alien, now he seems to think that they will be superior to us and that we can learn from them. Thus he is expecting the Faithful to place the aliens in a place superior to Jesus.
There will be many who will be deceived by this but remember if any of this happens, remember what it is to be like just before the End Times. As it was in the days of Noah, so shall it be at the coming of the Son of Man. In Noah’s time there was a hybrid race. Nephilim. Hybrid humans and hybrid animals. Think it weird? Take a look at the Vatican interest at Mt Graham. Especially the conversations between the Vatican astronomers and Tom Horn and Cris Putnam.
MFritz says
Too bad the rest of Christianity either doesn’t hear this voice – or ignores it.
Champ says
“Pope Francis has essentially dogmatized the falsehood that Islam is a Religion of Peace.” — Robert Spencer
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K_ppqCaUdkg
Save Europe says
Correct. In their world of insanity, some of them must, surely, notice the sanity that exists outside their Death Cult.
Lydia Church says
“When a people has nothing left to lose, in some sense it is very liberating,” he said, adding later that “our faith grew stronger. … We found who we are really – we are Christians.”
“Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” Matthew 19; 24
This is the context in which this verse makes sense. I know the feeling, because I too…. have nothing to lose! Of course we are called upon to make sacrifices for our faith. Some sell all their possessions and use the money as missionaries abroad. Some leave their houses and jobs and run an orphanage. Some become smugglers of the good news of the Gospel to restricted lands such as North Korea and the Middle East, risking it all. In a sense, we all risk it all when we commit our lives to Jesus. We must be prepared to lose our life for His Namesake at any given moment. Even if we don’t go across the world on a mission, we may be called upon to do some of all these things throughout our lives, because that is what the Lord calls us to do in His Word. We place our life on the altar on a daily basis, carrying our cross daily as Jesus told us to do. These days, even in the U.S., we never know if some terrorist will invade our church on a sunny Sunday morning and shoot us all up, or only those who refuse to renounce their faith. At any given time I know I may be called upon to lay down my life for Jesus, and I am ready. (There are days when I am more than ready!)
But it is in these places of comfort, like where I live, where people are the least willing to follow as a true disciple of Jesus. All have grown fat. All have grown lax. All have fallen asleep. No one does any of the things we are called to do, even if it is ‘easier’ here than anywhere else, we don’t face the dangers of Christians in… say… Egypt or somewhere like that. But like faithful servants, over there they obey. Not so here. Yes, I know it sounds like I’m whining about being the only one, but when there is none willing to go evangelize with you, and you have been to a hundred churches, trust me, it’s not a special ‘complex’! It’s like ‘obedience is my rebellion’! You really need a backbone to do these things, you need to be grounded in Jesus and filled with and lead by the Holy Spirit, because everyone else in church even is going to giggle about you behind your back! Despite all the ease and safety (for now) and comfort here in the U.S., no one lives it, and sometimes I think they have it easier in those places of danger to be a true disciple! They have already counted the cost. They have put their whole hearts in the commitment. They are not mere ‘fair-weather’ followers. Often times they don’t have much to lose materially. They know they didn’t sign up for a “bless me! club”! And, persecution is what makes the church grow and increase in passion, contrary to human thinking. It is here that the church is falling away in droves, either from the faith completely, or into apostasy in the sense of a false gospel. And standing with the persecuted church is the least of their concerns, they care more about the half time show and things that are superficial, carnal, and even forbidden.
But for all those laying lax in the pews, straddling the fence, dancing on both sides of it at times, a time of testing is heading their way. For the church here, the days of ease are almost over.
gravenimage says
You might think about working with the Barnabas Fund, which helps persecuted Christians:
https://barnabasfund.org/us
https://barnabasfund.org/en/about/contact-us#
Ray Jarman says
This Most Rev. Bashar Matti Warda was speaking from Erbil, in what should be Kurdistan. This is worth noting because the Kurds have provided safety to a lot of Christians and other minorities in Iraq.
Carol (the 1st) says
The Reverend sounds suicidal and masochistic and laissez-faire about those Christians who have been viciously and unnecessarily MASSACRED. And he does all this while standing on the ground that dead Kurds managed to provide for him. Does he think Jesus was really such a fool? Jesus never faced anything like this. Or does he just think magical forces are doing their mysterious dance?
There seems to be a challenge in the world and it can be faced realistically and without malice. You don’t forgive and befriend what remains evil; you do it a favor and TEACH it the right way in whatever way it takes for the sake of the innocent. As the Buddha said “the corrected wrongdoer will thank you in the end” (if there’s any wheat left once the chaff is sifted out).
Ray Jarman says
Carol I, I am sorry but I did not obtain the impression that the Reverend sounded either masochistic or suicidal. He seems very genuine and having worked with many of the U.S. Provencal Reconstruction Teams throughout Iraq, including Erbil – a large USAID contingent, and I have seen the destruction that both the Sunnis and the Shias inflicted on Christians. I am not Catholic but I have a lot of respect for both the Roman and the Orthodox versions. Communistic Pope Francis in not what I envision when I think of Catholic Popes and the Orthodox have endured many hardships just because they are in Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Iran and other islamic (no typo – I very seldom give then any respect) hell holes for centuries. If you see the faces of people who have nothing but their lives and if they are really lucky, they have their families in tact, I think that you might read the Reverend’s statement a little differently.
Carol (the 1st) says
Ray…I’ve reread it twice and both times my impression became less negative. My original reaction was influenced by an old JW article wherein Copts rather obsequiously served food to muslims at the end of each day of Ramadan (while fellow Copts were barely in their graves). I think I admire Copts but this was surely the wrong message to send to brainwashed supremacists.
“Warda said that before the Islamic State persecutions began, Christians and Muslims have historically maintained a healthy “dialogue of life,” but Christians were often afraid to speak honestly about the problems with Muslims. Warda said that this is no longer the case…”
The last sentence of this paragraph bodes well in a certain sense (but makes Christians sound like they live in a ditch doggedly supplicating the big boys up above for a generous drop of human kindness). Warda’s claim of a “healthy dialogue of life” seems more than a little preposterous what with the incorrigible nature of Islam. So why continue attempts at useless discourse with jackals who are supposedly adults? I don’t think Jesus meant for Christianity to play the “patsy”. Spare everyone and just take away their favourite comic books.
Another paragraph was also offputting:
“Part of this honest dialogue comes from Christians living their lives as a witness to the ‘truth of forgiveness.’ Warda called it a “vital missionary role” to provide a living example to the Muslims of a path to a world of forgiveness and peace.”
Warda can enact his version of a pacifist Jesus but in all likelihood any remaining Christians will be put out of their misery in the meantime.
.
gravenimage says
These persecuted Christians are the ones we should be giving asylum to!