THE P
RTAL
Aid to the Church in Need
February 2018 Page 20
“ Today we are truly a united Church ”
Murcadha O Flaherty writes of unity in the Syriac Catholic , Syriac Orthodox and Chaldean Churches
January ’ s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity reminds us of Psalm 134 ( 133 ): 1 that states :
“ Behold , how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity !” On Iraq ’ s Nineveh Plains , this unity can be seen in action , as the Syriac Catholic , Syriac Orthodox and Chaldean Churches have come together to form the Nineveh Reconstruction Committee ( NRC ) to rebuild Christian homes for thousands of families displaced by Daesh ( ISIS ) violence .
A detailed survey by Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need determined that more than 12,000 homes needed to be rebuilt after they were destroyed or damaged by Daesh . Responding to the crisis in March 2017 , bishops representing the three churches came together in an unprecedented ecumenical gesture to found the NRC . The NRC is allocating funds to each denomination according to the number of damaged houses belonging to members of their Church .
Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil referred to NRC ’ s help for displaced Christians at the re-consecration of St George ’ s Church in Telleskuf in December 2017 . This was the
The rebuilt altar of St George ’ s Church , Teleskuf , Iraq after being damaged
first church to be rebuilt after the defeat of Daesh . He said : “ It is a message of hope and victory . ISIS wanted to eliminate the Christian presence here , but ISIS is gone and the Christians of Telleskuf are back .” As of December 2017 , the total number of Christian families who had returned to their homes on the Nineveh Plains had risen to 6,330 families .
Archbishop Warda added : “ I am moved by the fact that the Church of St George has not only been reopened , but has done so still more beautiful and glorious than before . That is the way God ’ s
providence works ”. According to Archbishop Warda , as two thirds of Telleskuf ’ s population had returned , it was necessary to rebuild the Church as a sign that things were returning to normal . Aid to the Church in Need helped the project with more than £ 88,900 . The archbishop also expressed his gratitude to the charity ’ s benefactors : “ A huge thank you to all who have made it possible for us to celebrate the ‘ victory of our return ’.”
Syriac Orthodox Archbishop Timothaeus Alshamany spoke of NRC ’ s ecumenical cooperation in returning thousands of displaced Christians . He said : “ Today we are truly a united Church – Syriac Orthodox , Chaldean and Syriac Catholic – united in the work of rebuilding these houses on the Nineveh Plains and in restoring hope to the hearts of the inhabitants of these villages and inviting those who have left them to return .” Fr Andrzej Halemba who oversees ACN ’ s work in the Middle East described the importance of the rebuilding Christian settlements on the Nineveh Plains , northern Iraq , saying : “ We have done it to ensure that the Christians can remain in Iraq . We are working for God .”
Aid to the Church in Need - www . acnuk . org contact : acn @ acnuk . org or call 020 8642 8668