8 minute read
A Letter from Iraq
by CNEWA
Medhin, and to assess firsthand the situation in his eparchy.
Last December, there was widespread concern for the bishop as reports said he had not been seen in public since late November. Church officials later explained he and his priests had retreated to safety and were unable to communicate with the outside world due to the collapse of the communications network.
“Except seeking God’s protection, what can be done?” the bishop told the delegation in January. He recounted “unspeakable intimidations, sufferings, refutations, frustrations and loneliness” that he, his clergy and people had faced, the delegation said.
Numerous church buildings, clinics, schools and other church property in the eparchy — many of them funded by CNEWA over the years — were damaged and looted, namely in the towns of Adigrat, Edaga Hamus and Wukro. Other houses of worship were also damaged. Due to “security reasons and strict surveillance,” the delegation could not travel to areas where the damage was thought to be worse.
The three CNEWA-funded educational institutions that were damaged include the minor seminary and Tsinseta Mariam Secondary School in Adigrat, and St. Mary’s College in Wukro. The latter is a skills training center for young people.
Cardinal Berhaneyesus Souraphiel, C.M., metropolitan archbishop of the Ethiopian Catholic Church and president of the Ethiopian bishops’ conference, responded to the delegation’s report with an appeal for solidarity and for an international response to the grave humanitarian situation across the region.
“Outbreak of conflict and war occurs when truth dies,” he said in January. “Consequently, people suffer loss of life.”
“Now is the time to respond to the atrocities, at least, to minimize further loss and human sufferings in the conflict-trodden area,” he added.
The delegation estimated it would cost several millions of dollars to restore the various church properties within the Eparchy of Adigrat damaged during the height of the fighting.
However, the needs of those displaced by the war are the primary concern of the Ethiopian Catholic Church at this time, including the need for food, potable water, shelter, primary health care, basic household items and psychosocial support for the “immense and unexplainable” atrocities that people have witnessed.
The bishops estimated these urgent needs at almost $38 million, about a third of which has been
School food programs in Ethiopia (at left) are important in supporting communities. With the war, school closures in Tigray have left more people in the region vulnerable to food insecurity.
pledged by Caritas Internationalis, the international humanitarian aid network of the Catholic Church and a CNEWA partner.
Despite limited access, CNEWA has rushed emergency support to priests in remote areas affected by the violence and to assist the efforts of Tsinseta Mariam Secondary School in Adigrat and the work of the Daughters of Charity in Alitena. As always, CNEWA works in consultation with the leadership of the local church.
A little over one month since the visit of the Ethiopian bishops’ delegation to Tigray, the Reverend Abraha Hagos, who directs the social service efforts of the eparchy that form part of Caritas Ethiopia, says Bishop Medhin is unable to visit his parishes, especially those in the remote reaches of the eparchy, due to security concerns. However, many of his priests are coming to him — some walking for several hours — to share news about the death and suffering of parishioners.
Hearing such news “is very painful for the bishop,” says Argaw Fantu, CNEWA’s regional director for Ethiopia. Earlier, he had called the bishop to extend his “solidarity and prayerful encouragement.” He recalls the bishop’s tone of voice being “quite low, a sign of deep suffering.”
“Amid this situation, the bishop continues to demonstrate spiritual hope and courage,” adds Mr. Fantu.
Father Hagos also confirms that humanitarian aid is beginning to reach the Eparchy of Adigrat, noting that the eparchy has hired two water tanker trucks to deliver water to remote villages, and Catholic Relief Services is distributing food aid in 12 accessible districts out of 92 districts in the area, says Father Hagos.
However, this aid is not enough to meet all of the needs, says Mr. Fantu.
“Looking at the magnitude of the need for food, water and health care — and the number of unreached people in remote areas — all of these efforts are a start, but are minimal at present,” he insists. “More aid is needed in the coming months for those yet unreached people with dire needs.”
“CNEWA, being on the ground, knows of the suffering and is in close contact with the local church, helping to determine need and coordinate aid,” says CNEWA President Msgr. Peter I. Vaccari.
“Practically, our objective is to respond in three ways: offer immediate support to the work of Caritas through the Congregation for Eastern Churches; continue to monitor, assess, coordinate and offer help through the local church, launching a fundraising campaign in North America; and, when the immediate needs are met and the crisis abates, to remain on the ground, ever available and present in the accompaniment of the suffering throughout Ethiopia.”
In the meantime, the continued lack of information about the people in Tigray’s remote areas and the inability to get humanitarian aid out to them with the same efficiency is heart-wrenching, says Mr. Fantu. However, he says, the most disturbing aspect of this humanitarian crisis is that it need not have happened at all.
It is difficult to understand “why people who were in administrative positions chose this catastrophic option instead of settling problems or political differences in all possible and peaceful ways of negotiation,” he says, expressing his hope that Ethiopians will learn from this war the important lesson of refraining from partisan divisiveness.
“As people of faith, prayer is very important to console those who have lost their loved ones through this unnecessary crisis,” he says. “We need to pray for the wisdom of our leaders, for both public and church leaders. We need to pray for the wisdom of our young people, not to engage in destructive acts.
“We also hope that people of good will from across the world will stand beside us with their generous hearts and hands to save lives at this critical moment and collaborate in rebuilding the minds and hearts of people, as well as damaged facilities,” he says.
“At the moment, all focus is on life-saving efforts.” n
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Laura Ieraci is the assistant editor of ONE. Her career in Catholic media and communications has included work for the Archdiocese of Montreal, Vatican Radio, the Eparchy of Parma, and the Rome bureau of Catholic News Service.
A letter from Iraq
The formation of new church leaders for a community in flight
by the Rev. Ephrem Gilyana Dinkha
M.Erumquam unt facculpa sitam ariae plitiae est et pelendanda Lighted candles symbolize the martyrdom of Iraqi Christians in the Syriac cathedral in Baghdad in early November 2010.
In 2017, we celebrated the 150th anniversary of the establishment of our Major Seminary of St. Peter for the Chaldean Patriarchate in Iraq. It is now the only seminary functioning in Iraq and it accepts all Chaldean seminarians throughout the world. Among our seminarians are those who have suffered at the hands of ISIS, whose families were displaced and lost everything. Despite these trials, our main goal remains shaping stronger Catholic priests in an unstable and violent environment.
In my experience as rector of the seminary, forming candidates to the priesthood, while it is a lifelong process, should focus on four dimensions: human, spiritual, intellectual and pastoral. Giving proper formation in these areas in a country that suffers from the effects of war, terrorism and ethnic conflicts is challenging, to say the least. However, our reality urges us to prepare future leaders who will transmit the faith to the people in this land of persecution and who will be signs of peace and hope.
Our seminarians understand what is at stake and the importance of the Christian witness, and they respond with generosity. In a recent interview for a Catholic publication, one of our seminarians demonstrated this fact, saying he “understood the meaning of mission in a country like Iraq.” Despite the obvious challenges, he went on to urge “young people to undertake the loving service [of a priestly or religious vocation] that our world needs today.”
In our seminary we tackle different aspects of life through our series of weekly meetings with a variety of professors, priests and professionals. We encourage and teach that human formation must never be ignored or forgotten because it is at the core of who we are.
Through this program of formation, each seminarian has the opportunity to speak privately with his spiritual director to clear his mind of any interior conflict, because tomorrow’s priests should be the “living image” of Christ, who is the head and shepherd of the church. The seminarian in his person must strive for the level of human maturity that Christ attained and mirror it to the people and cultures in which he offers his service, regardless of their religious affiliation or ethnic identity.
The seminarians learn to discern the will of God and to grow more generous in their vocation. We emphasize not only liturgical prayer but also growth in personal prayer. Due to the war and terrorism in Iraq, it is important we have a strong relationship with God, who is our comfort. Without a strong
Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil tonsures a seminarian prior to diaconal ordination. At right, Father Ephrem Dinkha prays at the tomb of the martyred Father Ragheed Ghanni (inset) after his priestly ordination in 2007.
