As we pray fervently for peace in the world, and especially for the people of Iraq, please give thanks for the ministry of the Christian community there.
The Churches representing the two million Christians in Iraq are The Holy Apostolic Assyrian Church of the East, The Holy Ancient Apostolic Church of the East, The Chaldean Roman Catholic Church, The Syriac Orthodox and Syriac Catholic Churches, The Armenian Churches and The Protestant Churches.
These Churches also serve an additional two million Assyrian, Chaldean and Syriac Christians scattered in over 40 countries around the world.
Urgent prayer is being requested for protection for this special Christian community, the oldest Christian nation in the world, now struggling for survival in a sea of turmoil in the land of its forefathers.
Pray that the Assyrian Church of the East will endure this trial experience and return to its roots as the largest missionary force in the world.
The Indigenous Christian community in Iraq is on the verge of another survival situation. Between 1914 and 1918 and again in 1933 these Christians went through massacres in which over two-thirds of the nation was slaughtered - lost amidst the fog of today are these Christians, once a proud and very influential nation remembered in prophecy (Isaiah 19:23-25)..
The liturgy of the Assyrian, Chaldean and Syriac Churches is still today in Aramaic, the language spoken by Jesus Christ. Early in the first century the Assyrian Church sent missionaries to China, Central Asia, India, Mongolia, Japan, Siberia, Ethiopia and the rest of the known world.
Their history is little known. It was to them that Jonah came to bring the message of repentance and they repented. It was to them that the Apostle Thomas came and their King Abgar repented for his people and Assyria became the first Christian nation. The Christians of Iraq today are the remnants of Assyria that was the creator of much of our present civilization.
Cardinal Roger Etchegaray, special envoy from Pope John Paul II, recently said in St Joseph's Cathedral, Baghdad :
"Peace ? Who doesn't talk about it today everywhere in the world without thinking about the huge threats that weigh on Iraq? Who does not desire peace? But how many think that peace is still possible? How many truly want it with all their weal? How many see in prayer something other than a refuge during hours of panic? Something other than a simple alibi from human engagement?
"We pray for peace in Iraq and in the entire Middle East. It is most certainly a test of faith and the harder for those of us who take seriously both prayer and peace. They go hand in hand."
Information : Colleen Hodge - Education and Public Relations
Christian World Service - The National Council of Churches in Australia
Telephones 02 9299 2215/0419 6852 48 - Email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
