Archbishop Nizar Semaan at a spiritual center in Iraq

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Filipe d’Avillez, July 10, 2024

Many feared that the invasion of the Nineveh Plains would drive Christians from Iraq for good, but ten years after militants of the Islamic state drove them from their homeland, thousands of Christians have returned to houses rebuilt with the help of ACN, taking with them their love for the Church and the hope of the Gospel. 

“Words cannot describe what we experienced 10 years ago. ISIS tried to eradicate us, but they failed,” said Nizar Semaan, the Syriac Catholic Archbishop of Adiabene in Northern Iraq, during an online conference organized by Aid to the Church in Need. “The people here are like olive trees. You can cut them and burn them, but after 10 or 20 years, they will continue to bear fruit. They tried everything, but we remain, and as a Church, we do everything to give a sign of hope.”  

Though outright violence has receded in Iraq, the Chaldean Archbishop of Erbil, Bashar Warda, who also took part in the conference, said that the current threat of a regional conflict involving Israel, Hamas, Lebanon, and perhaps even Iran has Christians on edge, as they are aware that in these situations, they often become targets for fundamentalists, or collateral targets in the wars of others. These divisions also continue to manifest in the political sphere. “The tension is high between certain parties, very high, and it gives you the impression that something might happen that you have to be careful about.” 

Fighting an “island” mentality 

Archbishop Semaan confirmed that ISIS itself no longer poses a serious threat to the Christian community, but vanquishing the mentality that gave rise to it is another question. “ISIS didn’t want us here, but it didn’t want the Shias either. The problem with Iraq is that we are trying to create isolated islands for each community, with no common life. This is dangerous. You can live wherever you want, you can be proud of your identity, but don’t close your island to other people.”

“There are two ways to get rid of this mentality: first, we have to focus on education, not only with Christian schools, but we have to put pressure on the government to have a moderate education system that encourages people to respect others. The second way is to have a constitution built on humanity, not on religion. This will help the Christians to stay in Iraq, to get rid of this fear. We are always afraid. Whatever happens around us, Lebanon, Gaza, anywhere, the Christians are always affected,” said Archbishop Semaan. 

As Church leaders, bishops are trying to undo this mentality in their own communities. Recognizing that Christians had access to quite a lot of help, they did not hesitate to reach out to other communities that were also in need. “We shared some of that help with the Muslims and the Yezidis in the camps. After the defeat of ISIS, we established the Pope Francis Scholarship Program, and we asked ACN if we could include Yezidis and Muslims in desperate need. It is my belief that we evangelize by sharing this goodness with the people, by showing them the gospel of solidarity. We let them breathe Christ through the works of kindness that we share with them,” Archbishop Warda explained, highlighting that education is the key to a future of coexistence, which is why the Catholic Church has invested so much in this field, with the help of ACN. 

Rebuilding houses and lives 

At the height of the crisis, there was fear that if nothing was done, the entire community would leave the Nineveh Plains and perhaps even the country. Since then, thanks to ACN-sponsored rebuilding projects, the news is largely positive, according to Archbishop Warda. “In 2014, we had 13,200 families registered; 9,000 went back to Nineveh. This is something to be thankful for.” 

About half the Christians from Qaraqosh, the largest Christian town in Iraq, whose population fled en masse before the occupation of ISIS, have also returned. “Before ISIS, we had 50,000 people in Qaraqosh, and now, we have maybe 25,000,” said Archbishop Semaan.  

As for those who managed to leave the country, the two Catholic archbishops are aware that there is little hope of them ever returning for good, saying that they would only come back if a new crisis arose. Those who have children are even less likely to return, except for holidays. 

Another thing the prelates agree on is that no matter what hardships the Christians in Iraq faced, their faith and love for the Church were never a matter of dispute.  

“When we set up theological courses for young displaced people, so they could study and reflect on their faith, over 300 people registered. You have to understand that the people are very much attached to the Church. When they have a problem with the police, or a medical situation, they don’t go to elected officials, or to the political parties; they come to the bishop. That is why I encourage you to help the Church pastorally, because if the Church is strong, the community will stay. If the priest leaves, the community will leave. The families stayed when they saw their shepherd with them. Here in Iraq, whatever families experience, they come to the Church, and there are no schedules. People will call at any time, and the priest will respond. You can’t say this is just a spiritual center for mass and prayer. Everything is related,” said Archbishop Warda.

Any other person might complain about this exhausting lifestyle, but not these bishops. “It makes us feel that we are alive. Our phones are never off. We have to take calls; we have to go out, to open our doors to everyone. Anybody can reach us easily; you come and knock on the door. That is what Church means. Our people are attached to the Church, and that is good,” said Archbishop Semaan. “We try to give them whatever we can, regardless of the field. It is not our job to call the police, but we do it. It is not our job to provide them with things, but we do. Many people are dedicated to the service of the Church, and when you see many young people in the Church, you thank God, because this is what it means to be a Church. This is the way of keeping our Church alive. So, we thank God.”

For ACN, the health of the Church in Iraq, despite reservations and fears, is a sign of a job well done. “When ISIS invaded, the Christians fled to Kurdistan, where they were at least safe, but most of them had nothing to their name. ACN was the first international organization to come to their assistance. Over the following years, we helped first to secure the basic needs of the displaced, then housing, and finally, the rebuilding of their homes, so that those who wished to return to their towns and villages could do so, once ISIS had been pushed back,” said Regina Lynch, executive president of ACN International, who also spoke at the conference.

ACN has organized projects with the Church in Iraq since 1972. In July 2014, ACN was the first organization to help on the ground, and since then, the international charity has supported nearly 500 projects with over 60 million dollars of aid, ranging from immediate humanitarian assistance to reconstruction projects and scholarships.