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Katie Pavlich, Posted:
May 25, 2017
Christians
faced persecution all over the world last year for living out their faith and
continue to live under threat of genocide in the Middle East and North
Africa.
The Knights
of Columbus, an organization whose members worked tirelessly to get an official
genocide declaration from the State Department last year, has launched a
new fund to help sustain Christian refugees in Iraq. From a release sent out by
the organization:
Following
the shared concerns about Christians in the Middle East expressed by Pope
Francis and President Trump at their recent meeting, the Knights of Columbus,
which has been among the top financial supporters of these persecuted
Christians, is urging the public to donate to its Christian Refugee Relief Fund
to help avert a crisis and will be matching up to $1 million in donations.
Church leaders in Iraq are warning that, without immediate support, the
country’s Christian population could be reduced to unsustainable levels.
The Christian population has fallen from as many as 1.5 million in 2003 to only
about 200,000 today, according to the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil.
Erbil is home to the largest Christian population still in Iraq and the largest
community of displaced Christians in the country (12,000 families). The
archdiocese now faces a shortfall of $600,000 a month in food aid.
The
Knights of Columbus has donated more than $12 million for Christian refugee
relief since 2014 in support of communities too often ignored by direct U.N. or
U.S. government assistance. The bulk of the funding has aided Christian
communities in Iraq with food, clothing, shelter, and education, and has also
helped threatened or displaced communities in Syria, Jordan, Lebanon and Egypt.
Other religious minority groups targeted by ISIS, including Yazidis, have also
been recipients of the Knights’ aid.
“As
never before in 2,000 years, the future of Christianity in Iraq now hangs in
the balance, and whether it survives will depend in great measure on whether or
not we are able to provide the essentials that our people need in the short
term, and whether or not they receive help with reconstruction and assurances
of security in the longer term,” Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil warns about
the grave situation.
One
hundred percent of donations made by July 1 will be matched by Knights of
Columbus and all of the funds will be used for Christian relief in Iraq.
“A
century ago, the American people helped save Christianity in the Middle East
after the genocide they endured during and following World War I. Today, it
falls to us to act, and to act quickly, if Christianity — and with it,
pluralism — are to be saved in the Middle East. The Knights of Columbus is
absolutely committed to aiding our brothers and sisters in Iraq and to ensuring
that pluralism is not erased there.” He added, “We urge all who can to donate
to our Christian Refugee Relief Fund as soon as possible," Knights of
Columbus CEO Carl Anderson said in statement.
Tax deductible donations can be made at www.ChristiansatRisk.org
and by phone: 1-800-694-5713.
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