The world’s largest Catholic fraternal organization gave over $1 million to help persecuted Iraqi and Syrian Christians as they celebrate the Holy Week and reflect on the resurrection and sacrifice of Jesus Christ.
The United States-based Knights of Columbus announced Tuesday that it had transferred the funds to church leaders in Iraq and Syria.
A total of $500,000 was given to support a food program run by the Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil — the church body that has aided thousands of displaced Christians since the Islamic State took over large swaths of the Nineveh Plain in 2014 and as they resettle in their battered hometowns after the liberation.
Additionally, $300,000 will support aid programs run by the Syriac Catholic Patriarchate which aids nearly 3,000 families from both Iraq and Syria in dire need of clothes, food, shelter, medical care and access to education.
“As we recall the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus, it is particularly timely for us to remember and support our brothers and sisters in Christ who have, in places like Iraq and Syria, endured so much persecution for their faith,” Knights of Columbus CEO Carl Anderson said in a statement. “Having faced suffering and even death at the hands of ISIS, we hope that our assistance will help these communities to rise up again and rebuild for the future.”
According to the group, a total $250,000 of the transfer comes from a previous Knights of Columbus pledge to help Iraqi Christians rebuild their destroyed hometown.
An additional $800,000 comes in the form of new contributions to the Catholic…
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