Pope to Iraqi Christians: Forgive IS
Francis tells faithful battered by atrocities to rebuild, not give up
QARAQOSH, Iraq — Pope Francis urged Iraq’s Christians on Sunday to forgive the injustices against them by Muslim extremists and to rebuild as he visited the wrecked shells of churches and met ecstatic crowds in the community’s historic heartland, which was nearly erased by the Islamic State group’s horrific reign.
“Fraternity is more durable than fratricide, hope is more powerful than hatred, peace more powerful than war,” the pontiff said during prayers for the dead in the city of Mosul, with the call for tolerance that has been the central message of his four-day visit to Iraq.
At each stop in northern Iraq, the remnants of its Christian population turned out, jubilant, ululating and decked out in colorful dress. Heavy security prevented Francis from plunging into the crowd as he would normally. Nonetheless, they simply seemed overjoyed that he had come and that they had not been forgotten.
It was a sign of the desperation for support among an ancient community uncertain whether it can hold on. The traditionally Christian towns dotting the Nineveh Plains of the north emptied out in 2014 as Christians — as well as many Muslims — fled the Islamic State group’s onslaught. Only a few have returned to their homes since the defeat of IS in Iraq was declared four years ago, and the rest remain scattered elsewhere in Iraq or abroad.
Bells rang out for the pope’s arrival in the town of Qaraqosh.
“The road to a full recovery may still be long, but I ask you, please, not to grow discouraged,” Francis told a packed Church of the Immaculate Conception. “What is needed is the ability to forgive, but also the courage not to give up.”
The Qaraqosh church has been extensively renovated after being vandalized by IS militants during their takeover of the town, making it a symbol of recovery efforts.
Iraq’s Christian population, which has existed here since the time of Christ, has dwindled from around 1.5 million before the 2003 U.S.-led invasion that plunged the country into chaos to just a few hundred thousand today.
Francis’ visit, on its last day Sunday, aimed to encourage them to stay, rebuild and restore what he called Iraq’s “intricately designed carpet” of faiths and ethnic groups.
Dressed in white, Francis took to a red carpeted stage in Mosul on his first stop of the day, surrounded by the gray hollowedout shells of four churches — Syriac Catholic, Armenian Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox and Chaldean — nearly destroyed in the war to oust IS fighters from the city.
It was a scene that would have been unimaginable years earlier.
Mosul, Iraq’s second-largest city, was at the heart of the Islamic State’s so-called caliphate and witnessed the worst of the group’s rule inflicted on Muslims, Christians and others, including beheadings and mass killings.
He deviated from his prepared speech to emphasize the plight of Iraq’s Yazidi minority, which was subjected to mass killings, abductions and sexual slavery at the hands of IS.
“How cruel it is that this country, the cradle of civilization, should have been afflicted by so barbarous a blow,” Francis said, “with ancient places of worship destroyed and many thousands of people — Muslims, Christians, Yazidis — who were cruelly annihilated by terrorism and others forcibly displaced or killed.”
IS inflicted atrocities against all communities, including Muslims, during its threeyear rule across much of northern and western Iraq. But the Christian minority was hit especially hard. The militants forced them to choose among conversion, death or the payment of a special tax for non-Muslims. Thousands fled.
Throughout his four-day visit, Francis has delivered a message of interreligious tolerance to Muslim leaders, including in a historic meeting Saturday with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani.
But Christians say it will take real changes on the ground for them to be able to return and stay, saying they face discrimination and intimidation from Shiite militias on top of the economic hardships suffered by all Iraqis.
Qaraqosh resident Martin Auffee, 27, said he was overjoyed by the pope’s visit and appreciated that he showed he was with Christians as he urged them to endure. But he said many of the young in his area have grown weary of lack of opportunity.
“We don’t know for how long they can cling onto hope and continue to stay in Iraq because there’s a lot of pain, unemployment and uncertainty,” he said.
At Qaraqosh, Francis urged its residents to continue to dream — and forgive. “Forgiveness is necessary to remain in love, to remain Christian,” he said.
Francis wrapped up the day with a Mass at the stadium in Irbil. Few in the crowd, estimated at 100,000, wore masks, as was the case during all of Francis’ visits Sunday in northern Iraq.
Public health experts had expressed concerns ahead of the trip that large gatherings could serve as superspreader events for the coronavirus in a country suffering from a worsening outbreak. The pope and members of his delegation have been vaccinated, but most Iraqis have not.
“I’m cold. I’m cold.” The pleading words of my late father-in-law during in-person visits to his doctors have stayed with me following his passing. Our preparations for his outings were always thoughtful. But at 95, no amount of bundling him up seemed to bring him complete comfort. Trips left him exhausted for days to follow.
Then we began using telehealth.
It was a godsend to meet his needs. Suddenly, everything became easier and more comfortable. He could remain warm resting in his bed while we brought the phone or computer to him. He was able to visit with his regular doctor and feel safe knowing he was in familiar, good hands. Especially as we worked through dementia and months of end-of-life care, telehealth became not only a better solution, it became essential to my father-in-law’s well-being.
My experiences as a primary elder caregiver — coupled with my three decades as a registered respiratory therapist, community health volunteer and American Heart Association Basic Life Support and Heartsaver instructor and volunteer — make me certain that telehealth is essential for our communities. That is especially true for communities of color like my own where adequate health care access is often limited.
We must act now to be sure all insurance provider cover audio-only and video telehealth options. We must support, and ask our legislators to support House Bill 123 and Senate Bill 3 to protect telehealth for all. You can help by joining the American Heart Association’s “You’re the Cure” network and taking action today.
There are many ways in which telehealth increases access to care. Telehealth eliminates the need for travel, especially for people who may not have access to personal transportation. For folks dealing with chronic diseases, people who rely on oxygen as an example, finding practical ways to readily access public transportation — and to afford it — may be nearly impossible.
The pandemic has exacerbated these barriers to health care access. Telehealth by phone or computer allows people to practice prevention and chronic disease management under the guidance of qualified health care professionals, reducing strain on the need for emergency care during this critical moment and beyond. The elderly and those nearing end-of-life are especially positively impacted by access to telehealth.
If you need a reason to support access to audio and video telehealth, I ask you to recall my father-in-law and the many like him. We can’t leave our most vulnerable community members in the cold when it comes to access to health care. Telehealth brings prevention, chronic-disease management and wellbeing to the warmth of home (“Don’t end telehealth benefits for Medicaid patients while pandemic is still strong,” July 1, 2020).
Please join You’re the Cure to begin taking action and contacting your lawmakers today.
For the third time in less than a year, the Indians have to isolate players because they broke COVID-19 protocols. Third baseman José Ramírez and slugger Franmil Reyes are being kept away from their teammates at spring training in Arizona after they reported to the team that they went out to dinner in violation of team and MLB regulations. Manager Terry Francona said Sunday that the two players were sent to their temporary homes. Francona said Reyes and Ramirez went out to dinner Friday following an exhibition game in Mesa. They reported to the team’s complex Saturday and were immediately sent home. They didn’t have contact with any other players or team personnel. When spring training resumed last year after being stopped due to the pandemic, Reyes was forced to quarantine after the team learned via a social media posting that he attended a July 4 party while wearing a mask. A month later, the Indians placed pitchers Mike Clevinger and Zach Plesac on the restricted list after they broke protocols by going out to dinner in Chicago. Clevinger, who was traded a few weeks later to the Padres, initially didn’t disclose he had been out with Plesac.