Syrian Catholic Archbishop Moshe’s appeal to the international community: Save us!

The Syrian Archbishop of Mosul, Yohanna Petros Moshe  has appealed to the international community for quick action to stop the deterioration of the situation in Qaraqosh.  Nearly all Christians of the Syrian Catholic Church have fled in the past few days due to the offensive of the Sunni insurgents led by the jihadists of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL).  The town in the last few days has seen the arrival of weapons and new contingents to strengthen the Kurdish Peshmerga militias that oppose the advance of the Sunni insurgents. The impression is that the ground is being prepared for a head-on collision. 
 

In this dramatic situation, from Qaraqosh Archbishop Moshe through Fides Agency wants to launch an urgent humanitarian appeal to the international community: "Before the tragedy being experienced by our people", the Archbishop says to Fides, "I appeal to the consciences of political leaders around the world, to international organizations and to all men of good will: it is necessary to intervene immediately to put a stop to the deterioration of the situation, working not only at a humanitarian level, but also politically and diplomatically. Every hour, every day lost, is likely to make all unrecoverable. Inaction becomes complicity with crime and abuse of power. The world cannot turn a blind eye to the tragedy of people who have fled from their homes in a few hours, taking with them only the clothes they are wearing".
 

Qaraqosh is about 30 kilometres south-east of Iraq’s second largest city, Mosul, where armed opposition groups seized control two weeks ago.