The story (testimony) of a Chaldean priest who was forced to flee Qaraqosh

Fr. Paolo Thabit Mekko, the Iraqi Chaldean priest of Qaraqosh, had spent the past few months reopening wells and getting electricity generators going for refugees that fled Mosul after Iraq’s second major city fell into the hands of ISIS jihadists. Now, he too finds himself living the life of a refugee, along with the thousands of fugitives who were expelled from the Nineveh Plain and scattered in streets, churches and across the majority Christian Ankawa suburb of Erbil, the capital of Iraqi Kurdistan. His voice is filled with all the anger and bitterness of a humiliated community, as he describes the events which took place the night Christians had to flee. “At two in the morning, we saw that the Kurdish Peshmerga militia were withdrawing from the line of conflict and ISIS was taking their place. We don’t know why this happened. All we knew was we could not stay there without their protection. Families had started fleeing several hours ago. We got into our cars, carts and buses, a river of terrorized people, all heading towards Kurdistan,” Fr. Paolo told Vatican Insider.

Jihadist militia entered Qaraqosh after six in the morning. Various witnesses say the militants passed through the city’s streets with loudspeakers, urging those who had stayed behind to leave. “Traffic jams started building up on the roads leading to Erbil,” the Chaldean priest said. “The traffic jams lasted several hours,” he added. “Now there are people spread across streets and parks, left to their own devices, but happy to be alive. There are volunteers from the local diocese there to help them but they do what they can. The refugees have left behind everything they had. And they know that the Caliphate’s members go into people’s homes and rob everything, as they have already done in Mosul.”

But Christian refugees are not just blaming this terrible exodus to the ferocious fanaticism of the Jihadists: “The people,” Fr. Paul said, “blame the government, which did nothing for two months after the fall of Mosul and simply allowed the situation to deteriorate.” The promises made by Christian politicians who until yesterday had dreamed of transforming the Nineveh Plain into an autonomous region for Christians, now seem to have no solid basis. “All that remains now is the absurdity of a people who carry the legacy of a four-thousand year old civilization being forced by bands of fanatic criminals to flee their own homes and live in the street like beggars,” the priest concluded bitterly.

fwdude:" Isn’t the Demoncrat-backed Arab Spring just wonderful?"

(Question) What else do you expect from an administration that supports female sex-slaves.
(Question)What else do you expect from an administration that supports 'child brides' at age nine years old
(Question)What else do you expect from an administration that supports beheading of 'infidels', or even those who dont believe EXACTLY what they believe.
(Question)What else do you expect from an administration that supports beheading children, and putting heads on posts
(Question)What else do you expect from an administration that supports 4th Century hostility, not civilization
(Question)What else do you expect from an administration that supports such a movement, and openly arms it (Question)What else do you expect from an administration that supports genocide and supports a religious Hollocost

(ANSWER) The Democratic Party, the gopE , the Chamber of commerce, CAIR , and the UNITED NATIONS !!
When is enough ...... truely ENOUGH ??

Prayer for Iraq

O God, who art the unsearchable abyss of peace,
the ineffable sea of love, the fountain of blessings
and the bestower of affection,
who sendest peace to those that receive it;

Open to us this day the sea of thy love
and water us with plenteous streams
from the riches of thy grace
and from the most sweet springs of thy kindness.

Make us children of quietness and heirs of peace,
enkindle in us the fire of thy love;
sow in us thy fear;
strengthen our weakness by thy power;
bind us closely to thee and to each other
in our firm and indissoluble bond of unity:

Syrian Clementine Liturgy (in: For all God’s people; p. 73)

Litany for Iraq

For lasting peace in this ancient land – From you, O Lord.
For wisdom and compassion for all in authority – From you, O Lord.
For comfort for families separated or bereaved – From you, O Lord.
For the release of captives – From you, O Lord.
For safety and security for minority communities.
For refreshment for the weary and healing for the sick – From you, O Lord.
For continuing faithfulness of the ancient churches of this land – From you, O Lord.
For tenacity of spirit for small Christian groups – From you, O Lord.
For the mutual enrichment and support of those of different Christian traditions – From you, O Lord.

You, Lord of all, we confess;
You, Lord Jesus, we glorify;
For you are the life of our bodies
And you are the Saviour of our souls.

The response in the litany and this hymn both come from the Chaldean liturgy. The ancient hymn celebrates Christ the source of resurrection in all situations of death and deprivation. (in: With All God’s People, p. 21, 22)

From Anonymous:

Father God, Our Savior and King,

We come to You in despair over the evil being done to our Middle East Christian brothers and sisters. We ask that You would put Your hand of protection upon them and that You would sustain them as You did the Israelites in the desert. Lord, cause our brothers and sisters to cry out to You for help and show them the peace that only You can give in answer to their needs. In their darkest moments, Lord, keep them, strengthen them, and comfort them. When they despair that no one is coming to help them, Lord, reveal Your glory and restore their souls.

We ask you these things in the blessed name of Your precious son, Jesus Christ.

Thank you for posting the link. Our bishop has taken action. I posted the following information on another thread and Rorate caeli has also shared this with their readers:

Bishop Gregory John Mansour has issued an appeal to the parishes in his eparchy, to assist the Iraqi christians. He writes: "As the world sits by and does nothing to help our brothers and sisters who are being openly discriminated against, displaced, and persecuted for no other reason than being Christian, we feel we need to do something to help." To do so, he is taking up a collection on the weekend of August 16-17. All monies collected will be sent through the appropriate Catholic channels so that those suffering may directly receive the benefits. Bishop Gregory is a member of the USCCB but this collection is not part of any effort they may be devising. I checked their web site but found not such collection listed.

Eparchy of Saint Maron of Brooklyn
Collection for Iraq
109 Remsen Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201

And the king will say to them in reply, ‘Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me.’ - Mt 25:40

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Fr. Paolo Thabit Mekko’s dramatic testimony on how “fanatic criminals forced us to flee our homes and live on the streets like beggars”

(ANSWER) The Democratic Party, the gopE , the Chamber of commerce, CAIR , and the UNITED NATIONS !! When is enough ...... truely ENOUGH ??

(ANSWER) The Democratic Party, the gopE , the Chamber of commerce, CAIR , and the UNITED NATIONS !!
When is enough ...... truely ENOUGH ??