Erbil, Iraq, Apr 27, 2011 / 11:51 am
A leading voice in the Iraqi Church believes his community can still play a role in reconciling the country, despite the continued threats and attacks that have decimated its Christian population.
“The Church was born through God’s willingness to seek reconciliation with man through the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ,” said Archbishop Bashar Warda of the Erbil diocese. “So you could say we are experts in the field of reconciliation and we may be able to help.”
“People are still suffering very much because of the instability,” he told Aid to the Church in Need in an April 26 interview. “We offer a prayer and willingness to help with the process towards reconciliation and cooperation.” Violent threats forced the cancellation of some services during Holy Week, and the bombing of a mostly-empty church on Easter Sunday injured four people in Baghdad.
In Mosul, one of Iraq's most dangerous areas, large numbers of Christians defied a local curfew and walked for up to an hour to attend a Good Friday service.