Despite efforts by northern Iraq’s Catholic bishops to ensure that Christians and other refugees can survive the winter, housing shortages and a significant lack of financial support pose serious threats.
“The Church is pretty much alone in caring for them; so far the Iraqi government has not done anything for them. The tents of the refugees are set up on parish properties,” said Karin Maria Fenbert, an official with the international pastoral charity Aid to the Church in Need.
Fenbert assessed the situation in Erbil. With the start of the school year, many of the refugees who had been sheltered in schools have left quickly in order to avoid tensions with local Christians, she explained.
“Moreover winter is not far away and many refugees are still living in tents that are not waterproof, some of which are set up on the bare ground,” Fenbert continued in an Oct. 14 statement.
More than 100,000 Iraqi Christian refugees have fled their homes in and near the northern city of Mosul following the seizure of territory by forces from the Islamic State group earlier this year. Many refugees have escaped to Iraqi Kurdistan. They are among the more than 30 percent of Iraqi Christians who are now refugees… Read More
Source and Original Content by CNA