Church responds to Iraq Crisis The Church of England is calling on its members to pray, act and give to those suffering in Iraq under the actions of ISIS. The Archbishop of York issued three prayers for Mosul and the third of these can be used for all those fleeing persecution across the country: Holy God, your Holy family was driven into exile and many holy innocent boys were massacred, we hold before you today the suffering people of Mosul. Amen Lord, in this city where Christians and Muslims have lived together for over 1400 years, we pray for healing, peace and restoration. Bring light out of this present darkness and hope from despair that guided by your Holy Spirit, all your children may find a new way forward together based on your love for us all. Amen Hold in your loving arms, all those who have been caught up in this conflict. We pray for those forced to flee their homes, all who have lost friends, family and possessions and who now face an uncertain future. Bless our Christian brothers and sisters who have seen the destruction of their churches and communities and for our Muslim neighbours who have also experienced destruction and suffering. Amen These prayers are also available at: archbishopofyork.org Churches are being encouraged to act by download a poster and to display it in homes, churches and noticeboards to display their support for all religious minorities fleeing persecution. The poster uses the Arabic letter, “N”, which has been daubed on the homes of Christians (often called ‘Nasrani’ in Arabic) in Mosul to identify them as targets for persecution or execution. This symbol has been picked up around the world as a way in which the Church can identify with those from all religious and ethnic communities who are being targeted by ISIS. The Church is committed to championing freedom of religion and belief worldwide as a fundamental and internationally recognised human right. The Archbishop of Canterbury issued a statement on the situation in Iraq. In the statement, the Archbishop said “It is extremely important that aid efforts are supported and that those who have been displaced are able to find safety. I believe that, like France, the United Kingdom’s doors should be open to refugees, as they have been throughout history.” Churches and individuals are also being encouraged to write to their local MPs urging them to press the Government to increase Britain’s humanitarian efforts for all those affected by the crisis and to ask for asylum to be granted to a fair number of those who will be unable to return to their homes. Finally, donations can be made to the Anglican Diocese for Cyprus and the Gulf which is part of the Church network functioning alongside the Kurdish authorities in the absence of the normal international relief agencies. The immediate need is funds for food, and further priority is to providing accommodation for those sleeping in schools or even in the streets. Further resources including the ‘We Are N’ poster, the Archbishop of Canterbury’s statement and the Archbishop of York’s prayers are available at: churchofengland.org/iraq [In Review, C of E, Sept 2014, p.1]
Posted on: Sat, 23 Aug 2014 15:08:34 +0000
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