Chaldean Patriarch Louis Raphael I on the refugees who are fleeing to Europe: “Any declaration that may incite our people to emigrate is irresponsible at this time”
“Now our people are criticising us. They want us to find them flights, visas and welcome centres in other countries. This is impossible. A state cannot do this. And neither can the Church.” The Chaldean Patriarch of Baghdad, Louis Raphael I, says he is concerned. He is not convinced about certain consequences of Europe’s new policy on refugees fleeing Syria and other conflict zones. Many sister churches in Europe have been involved in this call to action. He was keen to share his perplexity and concern with other pastors of Eastern Churches.
What is your view on the international community’s recent actions with regard to the Middle East? Is something moving at last?
“Last Friday, I met all heads of Churches in Baghdad at the Chaldean Cathedral, along with a number of nuns and priests. We are asking ourselves how this can be happening now after four years of war in Syria and 12 conflicts and massacres in Iraq. After the situation was allowed to deteriorate for so long. I am worried.”
Are you referring to the refugee situation? Are you concerned about who opens the doors or closes them?
“This question cannot be dealt with in a sentimental or superficial way. What is required here is discernment. The only lasting solutions are those which can be implemented on the ground. These kinds of solutions need time and patience in getting processes going and guiding them. But this does not seem to interest national leaders and international organisations. They prefer to let the public’s emotions influence their actions.”
Some suggest welcoming Christian refugees and persecuted religious minorities first. Is this a good idea?
“This should not happen. It would pose a problem for us too. It will encourage those who say they want to give a religious justification to war. Those on either side who say Christians cannot stay. European countries must give shelter to those who really need it, regardless of religion. And they must avoid acting blindly, helping those who put Christians’ skins on the line.”
What are you referring to?
“There are agencies and groups that help Christians get away. It is their mission to facilitate the exodus of Christians. They finance it. They work to push Christians to leave their countries and they openly admit to this, presenting it as something that benefits the persecuted. I don’t know what their strategy is. Perhaps when these countries have Christians out of the way, it will be easier to declare new wars, sell and experiment with new arms. These phenomena need to be examined instead of just chatting about them.”
But can one stop mothers and fathers who want to give their children hope for a better future?
“We are not stopping anyone. It would be unfair as well as impossible. But we cannot push them to leave either. Now our people are criticising us. They want us to find them flights and visas and find welcome centres for them in other countries. This is impossible. A state cannot do this. And neither can the Church. A Christian community that was born in this land cannot set to organising an exodus that will pave the way to its extinction. We can respect the choice to leave as a personal choice but we cannot instigate it.”
So some are asking churches to organise a mass escape…
“It means that there is a very real risk now of the Middle East, Iraq, Syria losing all its Christians. Any declaration that may incite our people to emigrate is irresponsible at this time. One cannot speak before they take all factors and possible consequences into consideration, as well as how our words might be interpreted.”
Some claim that economic interests lie behind the sudden welcome given to immigrants. Does this really have something to do with it?
“I have heard people saying that they are looking for young people and that they don’t want the elderly and the sick. Right and left-wing governments agree on this. There is something strange about it. I can confirm that it is not just displaced people who are fleeing. Priests tell me that there are also people who aren’t too badly off financially, people who work at banks for example, who are leaving. People who don’t really need to leave. They feel that a window of opportunity has opened up and they fear this window will soon close so they take advantage of it. Meanwhile, those who are poorer aren’t even considering leaving. Everyone is losing out. Those who are most able are leaving and they are the only ones who could rebuild all that has been destroyed in recent years. And this affects us Christians in a special way. Christians, with their openness and their humanity, who are able to live alongside others, could have played a crucial role in the land where they were born and where their fathers also lived. In time, they could also have helped their Muslim fellow-citizens to free themselves from jihadist ideology that causes great suffering to them as well. We have opened churches, schools, clinics and hospitals. There is a network of bodies that did a great deal to improve peaceful coexistence and social life among communities, making services available to everyone. Now, it looks as if all of this is destined to disappear as well.”
In the past year, you and your Church have fought against the phenomenon of priests and religious emigrating to the West without the consent of their bishops…
“Priests and religious who escape from the Middle East are “luxury emigrants”. They take advantage of their status, contacts and church support to escape, passing themselves off as persecuted people and use this label even to make money in some cases. Sometimes, they manage to set up profitable and sacrilegious businesses using the persecution keyword. Many of them have escaped from safe havens where there is no persecution and have then helped their entire family settle comfortably in North America. Without authorisation from their bishop and betraying the spirit of the good shepherd.”
But shepherds are also needed in communities of Middle Eastern Christians who have emigrated to the West…
“Bishops who serve diaspora communities cannot come and “rob” the Middle East of its priests. They can go and search for them in their communities, which they claim are flourishing. The fact that we have embraced the priesthood in these lands, means we have offered our lives to the Lord and we must not seek out a life of luxury for our families. These “luxury emigrants” have set a bad example for the rest of the people. Our priesthood often takes us to places where people are suffering. To be close to them and show that you can experience the joy of the Gospel even here, in this situation.”
You recently denounced the theft of homes and land belonging to Christians who have left. And not only in territories that have been taken over by the Caliphate…
“Areas occupied by Daesh are not freed. Maybe this suits some. Meanwhile, Christian homes and land are now being illegally expropriated in Baghdad and Kirkuk. There is a risk of demographic balances being altered for good in these areas. International action is needed in order to ensure that the rights and properties of those who were forced to leave and may intend to return one day are respected. The UN should deal with this.”
Is there a way out of the misery engulfing the Middle East?
“I said this at the Community of Sant’Egidio meeting in Tirana and also in Paris, at the conference organised by the Œuvre d’Orient: There is no “magic button” to press to make it all ok in a flash. It will take a long time before this terrible situation can be healed. The defeat of the jihadist ideology requires the involvement of Muslim authorities and Arab governments. But Western circles of power have backed the forces and states where jihadists have always enjoyed more support. Now, with the refugee situation, they are appealing to the sense of humanity that is thankfully still alive in many people. Meanwhile, the complicities and protection the jihadists have enjoyed so far and the flow of money and arms are concealed. The wars against terrorism and in favour of democracy began in 2003 and the result has been the birth of the monster that is Daesh (ISIS). Surely this must tell us something.”
