Middle Eastern bishops say Christians' disappearance threatens hope

Published: 2008-02-20

ROME (CNS) -- The disappearance of Christian communities from the Middle East threatens hope for finding a way to preserve traditional Arab values while also recognizing individual human rights, said two of the region's Catholic bishops. In Iraq, "all minorities are threatened with extinction," said Latin-rite Archbishop Jean Sleiman of Baghdad. "The drama of Christians is the drama of Iraq. The flight of Christians is leading to a cultural and religious homogenization, which will weaken and impoverish Iraq," the archbishop said Feb. 20 at a conference in Rome. The conference, sponsored by the Community of Sant'Egidio, looked at the situation of Christians in the Middle East, their political status and their relations with their Muslim neighbors. Chaldean Bishop Antoine Audo of Aleppo, Syria, told the conference that while things are much better for Christians in Syria than in Iraq "many young Christians think of moving." He said, "Christians in Syria -- like people everywhere -- want to be citizens of the world with freedom, democracy, well-being and happiness."

Copyright (c) 2008 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .