Iraqi cardinal-designate discusses Iraqi refugees in Lebanon

Published: 2007-10-23

BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNS) -- Chaldean Cardinal-designate Emmanuel-Karim Delly of Baghdad, Iraq, thanked the people of Lebanon for their hospitality and called for more help for Iraqi refugees there. Millions of Iraqis have fled their homeland to escape violence, terrorism, extortion and death, said the patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church at a Mass in St. Raphael Chaldean Cathedral in Beirut Oct. 21. He appealed to Lebanese authorities to ease the burden weighing on the lives of the tens of thousands of Iraqi refugees in Lebanon, many of whom are Christian. He expressed gratitude toward the Lebanese who have welcomed Iraqis seeking refuge "while they wait for the storm to pass" in their homeland. Cardinal-designate Delly noted that Iraqi refugees face numerous difficulties, particularly regarding their employment, legal status and ability to obtain work permits. Although they receive emergency aid, notably from Caritas Lebanon and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, they need more help for medical treatment and education for their children, he said.

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