Their churches were destroyed. They were robbed of their jobs and dreams. Fundamentalist violence drove them from their homes. And yet, these Iraqi Christians chose to forgive their persecutors.
FATIN MARWAN PUTRUS
“We will forgive because we are sons of God, and He forgives us every day. And this is what we have learned from Him: to love because He loved.”
While many Christians who left Iraq to escape from ISIS never returned, those who did are motivated by a strong sense of responsibility to their fellow Christians.
RAND KHALID SABEEH
“Who will save the Christians in Iraq? Who's going to raise the Iraqi Christian people here again? Who will save the heritage, the Christian heritage in Iraq? FLASH We have to forgive because we always sin, and Jesus always forgives us. Who are we not to forgive?”
Pope Francis' visit to Qaraqosh is a step in this direction: to make the Nineveh Plains and all of Iraq a place of peace and coexistence.
RAMI ESA ISAAC
“Pope Francis is the first pope to visit Iraq, and we are so happy that we are visited by the pope. And we are also blessed.”
And Pope Francis throughout his visit has demonstrated to Iraqi Christians that they have not been forgotten.
CT
