Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako was alongside Pope Francis during the most significant moments of the Pope\u2019s trip to Iraq.<\/p>\n
For Cardinal Sako, the trip was a moment of pride for Iraqis. He is pleased his home country was able to organize such a complicated visit. <\/p>\n
Pope Francis\u2019 trip strengthened dialogue between Muslims and Christians in the region. After meeting with the Pope, the Grand Ayatollah, Ali al-Sistani, called for the full recognition of Christians\u2019 constitutional rights in Iraq. <\/p>\n
CARD. LOUIS RAPHAEL SAKO Collaboration between religions is central to defeating hate. As the Pope said, if we want to have a better future we must live as brothers. Otherwise, we will destroy ourselves.\u201d <\/p>\n The trip revealed the plight of Christians in Iraq. In 2003 there were more than 1.4 million in the region. Today fewer than 300,000 remain. <\/p>\n War and violence drove them out of their homes. Now, the Pope is asking them to return. <\/p>\n POPE FRANCIS Cardinal Sako says there are many things the West can do to help displaced Christians return to their land. <\/p>\n CARD. LOUIS RAPHAEL SAKO \u201c(These visits) give us the strength to persevere. They are also a sign to our fellow citizens that we will not be forgotten, and that we are not merely targets.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n Another significant way to help Christians in Iraq is by contributing to development and reconstruction efforts.<\/p>\n CARD. LOUIS RAPHAEL SAKO \u201cThere are also agricultural development projects in these areas, and plans to build wells because there is a lot of water nearby.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n The Pope\u2019s visit to Iraq has given the country the opportunity to open a new chapter in its history. With Muslims and Christians working together to rebuild their country, a beacon of hope now shines after years of war in this sacred land. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n JMB<\/p><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" March 23, 2021. Cardinal Sako proposes helping those in the region with development projects that create jobs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":14512,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24],"tags":[],"acf":{"video":"https:\/\/youtu.be\/kQdBhW6QgaQ","video_descarga":"http:\/\/attuale.romereports.com\/news\/bstsakoirakeng.mp4","international_url":"http:\/\/attuale.romereports.com\/news\/bstsakoirakint.mp4","type":"rrp","newsletter":"si"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.romereports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45500"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.romereports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.romereports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.romereports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=45500"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.romereports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/45500\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.romereports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14512"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.romereports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=45500"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.romereports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=45500"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.romereports.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=45500"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n<\/strong>Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans
\n \u201cIt was an extraordinary visit during a very difficult time due to security issues, the pandemic, and the diverse needs of the Iraqi people.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>And if you can, return to your homes.<\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans
\n\u201cEven only a visit, just to come and be with them, would mean a lot to the Christians.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans
\n \u201cAbove all to create jobs and to improve the infrastructures in Christian communities in the Nineveh Plains and Kurdistan.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n