Archbishop from Iraq says talking to Jeremy Hunt about persecution was ‘encouraging’

Catholic Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil told Premier that Cabinet minister Jeremy Hunt was a “Great, great person and really we have great hope in him and his effort. I felt that he’s so committed to that.”

Speaking in a small but packed room in the Houses of Parliament, MPs such as David Linden, Jim Shannon, Brendan O’Hara, Chris Green and Mike Kane listened to Archbishop Warda of Erbil talk about the experience of Christians in Iraq and his call for their continued support.

When asked what he thought of the progress of the Foreign and Commonwealth’s Office report into Christian persecution, Archbishop Warda said: “It’s a historical moment for UK to take this step and a courageous one – to speak about religious persecution, especially about Christian persecution, and this has been really appreciated and welcomed by the Christian persecuted around the world. I think it needs to have more input, which the report is doing.

“My visit here is to contribute to this report, and we want to see the outcome, the outcome would be how the UK government will deal with this issue, conditioned aid and conditioned diplomatic ties with countries but more importantly to make effective steps towards helping the persecuted ones.”

“It’s not enough just to speak to say, ‘there is the prosecution’ but at the end of the day, everyone [should] say what we have done and what…