Consecration of traditionalist bishop is for ‘prayer not politics’, says John Sentamu

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Consecration of traditionalist bishop is for ‘prayer not politics’, says John Sentamu

The controversial arrangements surrounding the consecration of a traditionalist bishop are for “prayer not politics”, the Archbishop of York has said today.

In a statement explaining why most bishops at the consecration at York Minster of Father Philip North will not lay hands on the candidate, Dr John Sentamu said: “It is in the nature of these arrangements, enshrined in the declaration and principles, that they involve accommodating within one Church people with convictions that vary widely. If this accommodation is to work it requires a degree of gracious restraint and accommodation on all sides.”

Christian Today disclosed this week that at the consecration of Father North as Bishop of Burnley no bishop will lay hands on him who has previously laid hands on a woman bishop or priest. The issue, coming as York Minster and the northern province prepare for the consecration of the first woman bishop Libby Lane just a few days earlier, next Monday, highlights the deep divisions that remain in the established church over women’s ordination.

Dr Sentamu and the Bishop of Blackburn Julian Henderson will both lay hands on Bishop-elect Lane when she is consecrated as Suffragan Bishop of Stockport.

Dr Sentamu admitted today that he will at the subsequent consecration of Father North delegate the presidency of the eucharist and the laying on of hands to another bishop, and a total of just three bishops will actually do the laying on of hands, the minimum stipulated by Canon Law.

In his statement Dr Sentamu said: “With great joy and thanksgiving the Church of England will, in the next two weeks, see the consecration of two fine priests, The Revd Libby Lane, and The Revd Philip North as bishops, respectively, of Stockport, in the Diocese of Chester, and of Burnley, in the Diocese of Blackburn. Nothing should be allowed to constrain our joy, our prayers and our thanksgiving, on either occasion.”

Noting that consecration arrangements are in law a matter for the Archbishop of the relevant province, and that the Archbishop would normally act as chief consecrator, Archbishops have always had the power to delegate the role.

“Any suggestion that the arrangements proposed for the consecration of the Bishop of Burnley are influenced by a theology of ‘taint’ would be mistaken,” he said, noting that he had himself presided at the consecration of the traditionalist “flying bishop” Glyn Webster, Bishop of Beverley and the present Bishop of Chichester, Martin Warner also a traditionalist, when he was made Bishop of Whitby.

“There were no objections on either of these occasions, despite the fact that I have been ordaining women to the priesthood since I first became Bishop of Stepney in 1996,” he said.

The Church of England has affirmed that “since those within the Church of England who, on grounds of theological conviction, are unable to receive the ministry of women bishops or priests continue to be within the spectrum of teaching and tradition of the Anglican Communion, the Church of England remains committed to enabling them to flourish within its life and structures.”

Dr Sentamu reveals in his statement that he wrote to all bishops of the northern provinces outling the details of the consecration, made at his suggestion and not Father North’s request.

He explained in the letter that the aim was “to build a future based on trust, mutual respect and the highest degree of communion possible.”

Although he as Archbishop will be recognised throughout the liturgy as the Metropolitan, he will “delegate to another bishop the authority to celebrate the Liturgy of Ordination and the Liturgy of the Eucharist,” he wrote.

He continued: “When the bishops gather together for the Ordination Prayer, in close proximity around the candidate, the Archbishop will lead all other bishops present in exercising gracious restraint at the laying-on of hands, permitting two bishops, nominated by the Archbishop… to assist in the laying-on of hands, in order to fulfil the requirements of canon C2.1. All other Bishops will remain in the arc around the candidate.”

The Archbishop was criticised by Women and the Church.

In a statement the group said: “Next Monday the Church of England and the nation will rejoice at the consecration of Rev Libby Lane as the first female bishop in the Church of England. That will be a great day, and nothing should detract from that moment of affirmation for all women in all walks of life.

“We have known about the arrangements for the consecration of the Bishop of Burnley for some time, but have not commented publicly out of courtesy to the individuals involved. Our focus has been on the earlier consecration as the fulfillment of a long and deeply held desire by so many, and as a source of good news from the Church.

“We are dismayed that it seems that the Archbishop of York will not lay hands on Philip North at his consecration as Bishop of Burnley. We believe it is unprecedented that an Archbishop should be present at a consecration in his own Province and not lay hands on a candidate, and not preside at the eucharist.

“We are saddened that there will be such a powerful visual sign of a divided College and House of Bishops at the moment of consecration. The Bishop of Burnley is a suffragan bishop, and not a PEV: he is a minister for the whole Church of England in the Diocese of Blackburn and the people of that diocese are looking forward to working with him across the traditions. We will issue a statement on the wider ramifications of this in due course.”

Source: Christian Today

Christian Bible Colleges sue State for denying them the right to grant Students Degrees

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Christian Bible Colleges sue State for denying them the right to grant Students Degrees

A group of Christian colleges in Illinois have sued the state over what they believe to be their right to grant students full degrees without having to conform their curriculum to state standards.

With the aid of the Chicago-based firm Mauck & Baker, the group that calls itself the Illinois Bible Colleges Association filed a lawsuit last week against the Illinois Board of Higher Education in district court.

Colleges belonging to the group include Providence Baptist College of Elgin, United Faith Christian Institute and Bible College of Maywood, and the DaySpring Bible College and Seminary of Mundelein.

Pastor Jim Scudder Jr., president of Dayspring, told The Christian Post that his college “has a biblical conviction that we should not be encumbered by the government as we attempt to fulfill our mission of training pastors and missionaries.”

“Therefore we have chosen to request exemption from the state of Illinois’ Board of Higher Education. They have only granted that exemption as long as we don’t offer degrees. They said diplomas and certificates were all we were allowed to offer,” said Scudder.

“Dayspring and several other schools in Illinois have formed an association … to sue the state — asking for the right to offer full degrees without state regulations (except health and safety), as we believe is afforded by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.”

Scudder added that the lawsuit was being funded partially by the Scottsdale, Arizona–based firm the Alliance Defending Freedom.

According to the IBHE’s website, colleges can “grant degrees on the condition that the institution maintains the standards and conditions that were presented in its application and that served as the basis for granting the authorization.”

“Periodically, staff will review materials provided by each institution, including the institution’s most recent catalog, annual reports on enrollments and degrees granted, reports on faculty salaries, student financial aid and default rates,” continued the IBHE.

“If the responses do not establish that the institution is in compliance with the conditions of approval, the institution may be allowed to provide a plan by which it will achieve compliance or revocation proceedings may be initiated.”

Regarding religious entities like the Bible colleges, IBHE states on their site that religious institutions “are required to obtain authorization to operate in Illinois.”

“If a religious institution plans to award an associate, bachelors, masters, advanced certificate, or doctoral degree in any field, it must obtain appropriate authorizations from the board. The rules provide a limited exemption for religious institutions that award only a ‘diploma’ or a ‘certificate’ and whose programs are solely devoted to religion and theology.”

Jonathan Lackland, spokesman for the IBHE, told CP that they could not comment on the lawsuit.

“The lawsuit against the Illinois Board of Higher Education was filed late Friday and we are in the process of reviewing it. As a result, we are unable to offer any comment or information at this time,” said Lackland.

In addition to the lawsuit aimed at the standards on religious colleges, The Associated Press reported last weekend that legislative efforts to change the standards have also occurred.

“Legislation to give the colleges degree-conferring authority won Senate approval without opposition last session but stalled in the House,”  the AP reported.

Source: Christian Post

US Senior Roman Catholics and Evangelicals join forces to warn of ‘grave threat’ of gay marriage

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US Senior Roman Catholics and Evangelicals join forces to warn of ‘grave threat’ of gay marriage

Senior Roman Catholics and evangelicals in the US have joined forces to warn of a grave “threat” to society caused by same-sex marriage.

In a statement to be published in the March edition of First Things, the US journal of religion, they describe the legalisation of same-sex marriage as “a graver threat” to society than divorce or cohabitation.

“We must say, as clearly as possible, that same-sex unions, even when sanctioned by the state, are not marriages,” the statement, titled “The Two Shall Become One Flesh: Reclaiming Marriage,” says. “Christians who wish to remain faithful to the Scriptures and Christian tradition cannot embrace this falsification of reality, irrespective of its status in law.”

Influential Christians such as Rick Warren, pastor of Saddleback Church, Daniel Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist seminary and Timothy George, Dean of Beeson divinity school, are among the 30 senior Christian leaders who have endorsed the statement, according to Baptist Press.

The statement is the work of a consortium of Catholics and Protestants formed under the banner Evangelicals and Catholics Together, set up by the Institute on Religion and Public Life. The Catholics include George Weigel, senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Centre.

Timothy George said the statement, headed: “The Two Shall Become One Flesh”, represents three years’ work by the group.

He told Baptist Press that Catholics and evangelicals “continue to disagree on lots and lots of issues. And the people who drafted this statement are well aware of those differences. We have not smudged them or pushed them under the rug.”

The members of the consortium “felt the complementarity of man and woman in marriage under God” was an issue on which evangelicals and Catholics could present a united witness. “We felt we had to speak out on this issue,” he said.

The statement sets out Bible teaching and concludes: “Marriage is a unique and privileged sign of the union of Christ with his people and of God with his Creation – and it can only serve as that sign when a man and a woman are solemnly joined together in a permanent union.”

It says marriage is in crisis throughout the Western world.

“The revolution in our marriage and family law, already well advanced, marches under the banners of freedom and equality. But these noble ideals are here gravely misapplied. When society systematically denies the difference between male and female in law and custom, our fundamental dignity is diminished, the image of God within us is obscured, unreality becomes legally established, and those who refuse to conform are regarded as irrational bigots,” the statement says.

It says gay marriage “threatens the common good” and “distorts the Gospel”.

“Keeping in mind the obligation to speak the truth in love, we must find ways to distinguish true marriage from its distortion, and we must do so without abandoning the public square,” the statement says. “We owe our fellow citizens a socially engaged witness to the truth about marriage, which, with the family, is the unalterable foundation of a healthy, humane society.”

Source: Christian Today

Head of AFA, Bryan Fischer accuses Obama of not being a Christian for supporting gay marriage

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Head of AFA, Bryan Fischer accuses Obama of not being a Christian for supporting gay marriage

The head of conservative group American Family Association (AFA) has said that President Obama can’t be a Christian because he supports gay marriage.

Speaking on his radio show last Friday, Bryan Fischer said: “I do not know what goes on inside Barack Obama’s heart, but I do know that he is not a sincerely devoted follower of Jesus Christ. So, in my mind, that means he’s not a Christian.

“Nobody can support and promote and celebrate homosexual behaviour who is a sincerely devoted follower of Christ. It’s impossible, because Christ and his apostles made it very clear that’s a sin.”

Fischer went further still; suggesting that Obama is actually a follower of Islam.”He walks like a Muslim. He talks like a Muslim. He sounds like a Muslim. He acts like a Muslim,” he said.

“Jesus said ‘by your fruits, you shall know them’ and at some point people are going to start connecting those dots.”

Fischer has condemned Obama’s stance on gay rights in the past. Following the President’s second inaugural address, in which he said that gay people should be “treated like anyone else under the law”, Fischer responded: “Homosexuals do not have a constitutional right to engage in sodomy”.

“It’s absurd in the extreme, it’s ridiculous, it’s ludicrous for homosexuals to claim that they have some kind of constitutional right to engage in sexually deviant behaviour,” the now 63-year-old added.

“All men are created equal, but nobody, nobody, nobody is born gay”.

The AFA is often described as a hate group, and has campaigned extensively against gay marriage. An LGBT rights campaign in Mississippi last year prompted the organisation to release a statement condemning what they called “a war against the Bible in America”.

Though his personal faith has been the subject of much scrutiny, Obama has expressly aligned himself with Christianity. In an interview with Christianity Today before his Presidential win in 2008, he said: “I am a Christian, and I am a devout Christian. I believe in the redemptive death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

“I believe that that faith gives me a path to be cleansed of sin and have eternal life,” he continued. “But most importantly, I believe in the example that Jesus set by feeding the hungry and healing the sick and always prioritizing the least of these over the powerful.

“I didn’t ‘fall out in church’ as they say, but there was a very strong awakening in me of the importance of these issues in my life. I didn’t want to walk alone on this journey. Accepting Jesus Christ in my life has been a powerful guide for my conduct and my values and my ideals.”

Source: Christian Today

ABS names Birmingham, Albama the most Bible-minded city in America

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ABS names Birmingham, Albama the most Bible-minded city in America

If you want to up your Bible-reading game this year, you might want to consider a trip to Birmingham, Alabama, which has just been named the most Bible-minded city in America.

The American Bible Society (ABS) has analysed data regarding the Bible reading habits and beliefs about the Bible of over 60,000 adults across the States.

Unsurprisingly, states in the US Bible Belt are among those considered the most ‘Bible-minded’ – ie respondents from these cities had read the Bible in the past seven days and believed strongly in the accuracy of the book. Birmingham ranked number one, beating last year’s winner, Chattanooga, Tennessee, to the top spot.

Research showed that East Coast cities were at the bottom of the list. Providence, Rhode Island and New Bedford, Massachusetts ranked joint last out of 100 cities, while New York found itself in the bottom 10 for the first time.

In all, just 27 percent of the US population was considered ‘Bible-minded’, according to the survey.

Managing Director of Communications at ABS, Andrew Hood, said the organisation’s research provided a more in depth look at America’s view on the Bible than other surveys.

“Online rankings consider only one data point – Bible search behaviour – while American Bible Society’s Bible-Minded Cities survey examines both behaviour and attitudes about the Bible to harvest a more authentic survey of each city’s population. This provides a more three dimensional view of a city’s real Bible mindedness,” he said.

“This study provides us with a great starting point to understand where people are interacting with Scripture and what their views are of the Bible. We want to help people continue to grow their engagement with the Bible.

Hood continued: “Ultimately, we want people to know that, whether they live in one of the most or least Bible-minded cities, the Bible can speak to their needs and challenges and help them make sense of life.”

Source: Christian Today

Famous hymn Onward Christian Soldiers manuscript to be sold

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Famous hymn Onward Christian Soldiers manuscript to be sold

A rare signed manuscript of the famous hymn Onward Christian Soldiers is to be sold today by a Boston-based auctioneer. Baring-Gould (1834-94) was an English clergyman and antiquarian who wrote copiously on mediaeval themes, including a well-regarded history of werewolves. He wrote the hymn for a children’s processional march in about 15 minutes, later apologising and saying: “It was written in great haste, and I am afraid that some of the lines are faulty.” However, though editors have made changes over the years it is his original version that is still most often sung.

The hymn rapidly became popular and was set to music in 1871 by Arthur Sullivan. The Salvation Army adopted it as a marching song and it was played at Dwight D Eisenhower’s funeral. The manuscript is described in the catalogue as “An exceptionally bold, scarce example of this beloved hymn of significant historic importance.” Online bidding before the live auction closed at $2,426. Source: Christian Today

Barack Obama said that the release of imprisoned pastor Saeed Abedini is now a ‘top priority’

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Barack Obama said that the release of imprisoned pastor Saeed Abedini is now a ‘top priority’

President Obama yesterday promised the family of imprisoned pastor Saeed Abedini that his release was a “top priority” for the Administration.

Following a private meeting with the President, Saeed’s wife, Naghmeh Abedini, said Obama was “focused and gracious – showing concern to me and my children”.

“I am extremely thankful the President took the time to meet with our family and told us that securing the release of my husband is a top priority,” she said.

“I know that this meeting could not have occurred without prayer and I am grateful to the many people around the country and world who continue to pray for Saeed’s release. The President repeated his desire to do all that he can to bring Saeed home. That means the world to me and my children and has given me a renewed sense of hope.”

Naghmeh told The Blaze that the 10-minute meeting was “emotional” and that she felt there was a real “heart connection” with the President as he heard her husband’s story.

“As much as I needed to see him to make it more personal, I think it had the effect where he saw us and we weren’t just a news story,” she said.

“We are a family torn apart. I could see compassion in his eyes.”

The Abedini’s two young children were also present, and 6-year-old Jacob asked Obama to bring his father home before his next birthday on March 17.

“I don’t know if I can do it that quick[ly]. I will try,” the President responded

“I could see in his eyes that he’s a dad and for him to see that that’s what Jacob wants – it was a really emotional moment,” Naghmeh said. She had fasted and prayed for three days prior to Obama’s visit to her hometown of Boise, Idaho, in the hopes that he would meet with her.

“[I told him] this meeting was set up by God and he smiled and he nodded,” she said. She is now planning, on the President’s recommendation, to meet with Ambassador-at-large for international religious freedom Rabbi David Saperstein.

“It’s definitely encouraged me more and made me more hopeful and at the same time…Let’s see what happens,” she said. “The sceptic in me is also watching to see where are they going to go after this meeting…How soon can they get him home?”

Executive Director of the American Center for Law and Justice, which represents the Abedini family, Jordan Sekulow has expressed his gratitude following the meeting.

“Pastor Saeed has been wrongly imprisoned for nearly two and a half years. He has been separated from his wife and children. The pain experienced by the Abedini family is impossible to imagine,” Sekulow said in a statement.

“The meeting between President Obama and the Abedini family is a very welcomed development. It demonstrates the President’s concern and compassion for this family. It also underscores the importance of Pastor Saeed’s case, a U.S. citizen imprisoned in Iran merely because of his Christian faith.

“The face-to-face meeting elevates Pastor Saeed’s plight on the world stage – and should send a powerful message to the Iranians – it is time to release Pastor Saeed so he can return home to his family.”

Pastor Saeed is currently serving an eight-year prison sentence in Iran for “threatening the security of the state”.

Naghmeh has repeatedly challenged the US government to speak up for her husband, and has criticised the administration’s failure to respond with the urgency called for by campaigners. “I thought I would have to fight the Iranian government. I never anticipated that I would have to battle my own government,” she said during a 2013 congressional hearing in Washington.

Source: Christian Today

Christian Concern wins apology after conference on same sex marriage was cancelled

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Christian Concern wins apology after conference on same sex marriage was cancelled

A long-running dispute between Christian Concern and the Queen Elizabeth II Conference Centre has ended with victory for the Christian campaign group.

The centre was due to host a conference for Christian Concern in 2012 entitled “One Man, One Woman – Making the case for marriage for the good of society”. However, it cancelled the booking the night before, citing concerns over compatibility with the Centre’s diversity policy.

The conference had previously been due to take place at the Law Society, which had cancelled for the same reason. Following legal action the Law Society said that it recognised Christian Concern was “entitled to hold and express” its views and that the Society would organise a debate on the issue of same sex marriage in which a speaker from Christian Concern would take part.

Now the QEII Conference Centre has made a similar climb-down. The joint statement says: “The Centre regrets that its decision to cancel the contract caused Christian Concern, as well as its invited speakers and delegates, disappointment and inconvenience.

“The parties uphold the rights and freedoms of other members of society based on the principles of a democratic society.

“The Centre accepts that some people have deeply held views about the nature of marriage, and that every individual has the freedom to express these in accordance with the law. The Centre also respects Christian Concern’s view that marriage should be between a man and a woman, and that view is sincerely held.”

It concludes: “The Centre confirms that there was no intention to discriminate against Christian Concern. Going forward, the Centre is happy to work closely with Christian Concern to stage a future event about marriage or other issue of interest.”

The statement was issued in the name of Christian Concern, the QEII Conference Centre and the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government, Eric Pickles, whose department owns the centre but does not run it. Pickles has been outspoken in his support for Britain’s Christian heritage and freedom of expression, intervening in the face of secularist challenges to make it possible for local councils to continue to hold prayers before their meetings. He is thought to have been unlikely to be sympathetic to the centre’s position.

Source: Christian Today

A Muslim Prisoner granted right to grow beard after court ruling

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A Muslim Prisoner granted right to grow beard after court ruling

A Muslim prisoner has been granted the right to grow a beard after a court ruled that his religious rights trumped security concerns.

The Arkansas Department of Correction had previously banned prisoners from growing beards, citing fears that weapons or contraband could be hidden within them. The state had also suggested that escaped prisoners could easily change their appearance by shaving.

However, in a unanimous vote yesterday, nine Justices dismissed this argument. “Hair on the head is a more plausible place to hide contraband than a half-inch beard, and the same is true of an inmate’s clothing and shoes,” Justice Samuel Alito said.

“Nevertheless, the department does not require inmates to go about bald, barefoot or naked.”

Alito added: “We readily agree that [the state] has a compelling interest in staunching the flow of contraband into and within its facilities. But the argument that this interest would be seriously compromised by allowing an inmate to grow a half-inch beard is hard to take seriously.”

Alito also said the state already searches clothing and hair and had not given a valid reason why it could not also search beards.

The prisoner in question, Gregory Holt – otherwise known as Abdul Maalik Muhammad – said his case was “a matter of grave importance, pitting the rights of Muslim inmates against a system that is hostile to these views”.

He argued that the state’s prison grooming policy prohibiting inmates from having facial hair other than a “neatly trimmed mustache” violated his religious rights under a 2000 federal law called the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act.

His lawyers noted that more than 40 states and the federal government  allow prison inmates to have similar beards.

Eric Rassbach, Deputy General Counsel for the Becket Fund for Religious Freedom labelled the ruling “a huge win for religious freedom and for all Americans”.

“What the Supreme Court said today was that government officials cannot impose arbitrary restrictions on religious liberty just because they think government knows best,” he said.

The court’s decision has been compared to last year’s judgement on the Hobby Lobby case, where it was made legal for closely-held businesses to uphold religious objections which allow them to opt out of contraceptive health law requirements.

Justice Ruth Balder Ginsburg yesterday distinguished between the two cases, however. “Unlike the exemption this court approved (in Hobby Lobby), accommodating petitioner’s religious belief in this case would not detrimentally affect others who do not share petitioner’s belief,” she said in a concurrence.

Holt, who wanted to grow a half-inch beard, is serving a life sentence for burglary and domestic battery at the Varner Supermax prison. In 2005, he pleaded guilty to separate charges of threatening the daughters of then-President George W Bush.

Source: Christian Today

Displaced Christians might return home(Iraq) this year, says Vatican diplomat

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Displaced Christians might return home(Iraq) this year, says Vatican diplomat

Christians driven out of northern Iraq by Islamic State might be able to return to their homes this year, according to the Vatican’s diplomatic representative in Iraq.

Archbishop Giorgio Lingua told a representative of Roman Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need that he was cautiously optimistic but that the process would be very challenging.

“If they do return it won’t be easy,” he said. “Besides the reconstruction of destroyed houses and infrastructure, such as schools, it will be necessary first and foremost to restore the trust in Muslim neighbours which has also been shattered.

“Many Christians feel their neighbours betrayed them, because they looted their [abandoned] houses. So it will not only be necessary to repair homes, but also relationships.”

He said the Iraq central government was working more effectively and was seeking to ensure that more parties were represented.

“Something has been put in motion; the new government is working well,” he said. “A fundamental factor is the greater involvement of all groups. The country will never be free of terrorism as long as some ethnic and religious components are barred from the governing process. If a group is excluded it must not be assumed that they will not rebel.”

The failure of former Shiite Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki to create a government that included both Sunnis and Shiites is widely regarded as the main reason for the alienation of Sunnis and the growth of Islamic State. His position became increasingly untenable and he lost power last August to Haider al-Abadi.

Archbishop Lingua said that the position of Christians in Iraq depended on how the Government handed the crisis in Mosul and the Nineveh Plain.

“If the government manages to regain control there and implements a campaign of national reconciliation, then there will be a place for Christians in Iraq. If clashes persist, however, the weakest will pay the price, and these are always the minorities. We therefore have to hope that peace will return. This is where the international community comes in.”

He stressed the need for humanitarian relief, saying that the cold winter was aggravating other difficulties. “At the present time the people mainly need heaters. There are reports that some of the children have perished in the cold.” The psychological strains were also telling, he said: “The people don’t know how long they still have to hold out as refugees. This hopeless situation is causing some people to consider emigration while they don’t actually want to leave.”

The archbishop also said that a visit to the region by Pope Francis was in consideration: “The Holy Father is expected in Iraq both by the Church and the political powers, and even by non-Christians such as the Shiite leadership. I am impressed how great the consensus is concerning the figure of the Pope.”

Foreign ministers from around the world are meeting in London to discuss how to take on Islamic State. Britain’s foreign secretary Philip Hammond told Radio 4’s Today programme that it would be “months” before the Iraqi army was ready to take on the jihadists. “We are renewing and regenerating the Iraqi security forces – re-equipping them, retraining them, reorganising them – but it will be months yet before they are ready to start significant combat operations against Isil.”

“They will be able to do it, the question is when they will be ready to start that process,” he added.

Referring to Islamic State by its Arabic acronym Daesh, Iraq’s Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi told David Cameron: “Iraq is facing a real crisis, a fiscal crisis and other crises in facing Daesh. We are waging a war in Iraq and war is very costly.

“We have soldiers’ boots on the ground – I think we are the only country who have boots on the ground to fight Daesh.

“Iraqi people have sacrificed their lives in facing Daesh. We have reversed, some time ago, the advances of Daesh and we are very keen to push them back from the whole of Iraq.

“But this is a fight of the world and Daesh must be eliminated from the region and from the whole of the world.”

Source: Christian Today

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