christians-from-iraq

"We are citizens of Iraq and we have been in this land, our home, for millennia. Politicians leading the country say they hope that Christians will remain in the country and continue to contribute. We ask them not to remain in good intentions, but to put them into practice through works."

"We Christians are the ancient inhabitants of this land, not only in Iraq but throughout the Middle East. Our presence goes back many centuries. In Iraq, we have always lived in the name of brotherhood and coexistence with other religious communities. We have lived together for centuries, but now our presence is endangered. We have helped to shape and fertilize the land, spreading peace, love, justice. And we want to continue to do so in the future."

"This young man who did this act almost two weeks ago, I say to you, my dear, you are my son. And you will always be my son. I will always pray for you. I'll always wish you nothing but the best."

"But you are my son, my dear, and the Lord knows it is coming from the bottom of my heart. I'll always pray for you, and for whoever was in this act."

"I ask the Lord Jesus Christ to accept this eye as a gift of love for every Muslim wherever he is. I give you my eye, my beloved Muslim. If you do not see, I will be the eye for you, and this eye will be, as we say in the Iraqi dialect, "my beloved, this eye will be a sacrifice for you"."