Washington D.C., Dec 4, 2017 / 17:16 pm
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence met with Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of Erbil on Monday for a "substantial discussion" on the needs of persecuted Christians and other religious minorities in Iraq.
"I updated him on the situation facing our people and expressed our hope that peace would soon come to Nineveh," Warda said in a statement about the Dec. 4 meeting.
Since 2014, the Islamic State has forced thousands of Iraqi Christians to flee their homes after telling them they must convert to Islam, pay an exorbitant tax, or be killed. Many of these Christians have resettled in or around Erbil.
Warda has often spoken out on behalf of persecuted Christians in the Middle East, and was in the United States for "Solidarity in Suffering," a Week of Awareness for Persecuted Christians, an event that began on Nov. 26 and was co-sponsored by the Knights of Columbus and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.