My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
I returned recently from a fact-finding mission in the Middle East to ascertain the situation of those who have fled Iraq. The fact of the matter is that now there are almost two million Iraqis living outside of Iraq following the four years of war in their country. The mission was undertaken by three Catholic organizations: Catholic Relief Services, for which I serve as treasurer; Migration and Refugee Services, the domestic resettlement agency of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, of which I am a former director; and the International Catholic Migration Commission, which I once served as vice president.
My involvement with refugees spans more than three decades. This fact-finding mission was truly a heartrending one because of the conditions of those who find themselves in desperate situations outside their own country. Without making any judgment on the Iraqi war, it seems that an incredible disaster has followed in the wake of trying to bring democracy to a country that had been ruled by a dictator. It is not so much religious or sectarian strife between Sunni and Shiite, or anger toward Christians and Kurds, that causes the problem, but as we spoke to everyone it became clear that it was a certain tribalism that has taken over.
Tribalism perhaps is best understood as "group think," where individuals and what they believe do not matter anymore. Or rather, it is a kind of a mass hysteria where rationality has no place. The world witnessed this in Rwanda, where one tribe massacred another, although many members of each tribe were Catholics. The world saw the same happen in the Balkans several years earlier, and now we witness the same phenomenon in Iraq.
Besides the terrorism that is constantly taking place, kidnappings, extortion and outright murder are very commonplace. People who fled are Shiite, Sunni and Christians, although Christians form a disproportionate part of the refugee population, some 30 percent, whereas they are less than 10 percent of the Iraqi population. Christians of various rites — Chaldean, Latin, Armenian, Syrian and other Orthodox churches — find themselves in desperate situations. Just several weeks ago, a Chaldean priest and three subdeacons were killed after the priest celebrated Mass in the relatively safe northern area of Iraq. There is no safe place today in Iraq. Those who flee do so for their lives, leaving possessions behind, with the hope of giving a better life to their children.
Purpose of Trip
The purpose of the trip was to get a firsthand look at the situation of the refugees and displaced persons and then to complete a report, which will be used in advocacy on their behalf with the U.S. Department of State, which oversees refugee admissions, the Congress, which allocates funds for that purpose, and the White House. We hope that our work will prove fruitful. On the mission with me were five representatives of these organizations, and we were joined by His Eminence, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop Emeritus of Washington, in the last two countries of our trip. Perhaps it would be good if I gave a description of the four countries which we visited in 12 days. It was kind of a whirlwind trip, but I believe we obtained good insights and results working with Bishops, Church entities and other non-profit organizations, and visiting the refugees themselves.
The trip began in Istanbul, Turkey, with visits to the International Catholic Migration Commission Office, which assists the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) in processing refugee applications for various countries, especially the United States. On July 3, we celebrated Mass with the Chaldean Catholic community in Istanbul. The refugees in Turkey seem to be overwhelmingly Chaldean Christians. It was a coincidence that we arrived on the Feast of St. Thomas, who is credited with establishing the Chaldean community in Iraq, which antedates Islam by seven centuries.
We met also with the UNHCR, as well as the U.S. Embassy in Turkey. It is unfortunate that our embassies in many countries now resemble fortresses instead of welcoming outstations of the United States government. Terrorism has changed the face of the world for many generations to come. Istanbul is an amazing city, but the refugees themselves are unable to live there. Those registered with the government are sent to 21 small towns, some very far from Istanbul. This is done to discourage new refugees from coming, although the treatment within Turkey is adequate. Though unable to work, they eke out an existence depending on what the voluntary agencies give them.
From Turkey we proceeded to Lebanon, a country with numerous problems. Last year's attack by Israel prompted by Hezbollah's attack on Israel; the current warring in the Palestine refugee camp in the North and the lack of a stable and political regime form the basis of a country where armed guards are found on many downtown street corners. The Lebanese government is doing what it can to assist the refugees displaced there, many of whom are also Chaldean Christians. We visited Bishop Michel Kassarji, the Chaldean Bishop in Beirut, and had Mass with the Chaldean community who that day had arrived for their welfare distribution.
One highlight of the visit was a meeting with the Maronite Patriarch, Cardinal Nasrallah P. Sfeir, one of the key figures in Lebanon since its Constitution supports both Moslems and Christians in certain government positions. The Cardinal visited the Diocese of St. Maron, located in Brooklyn, last year and Bishop Gregory Mansour invited me to meet the Patriarch when he was here. He was very appreciative of our visit amid the constant chaos with which he must deal.
One of the stops on our visit in Lebanon was the immigrant detention center, which was a converted parking garage located under a major highway. The conditions were poor, but the security services that managed it did the best to make it livable. Unfortunately, I have seen worse conditions in Hong Kong, even in our own country, where immigrants are detained. It seems that the world does not welcome displaced persons with even minimum standards of humanitarian care.
Visit Refugee Families
The visits to refugee families were also enlightening. Most live in one or two rooms in neighborhoods recently abandoned by those who have found better housing. Rents are high and the local population seems to blame the refugees for inflation and high costs, when perhaps the real reason is the high price of oil. One family in particular sticks out in my mind. This was a family born into a Christian sect called the Mandeans, an early heretical group in the Church. This family of four lives in a basement room and were thankful to escape with their lives after having been threatened and suffering the loss of a close relative to the violence that pervades Iraq.
The next country visited was Jordan, a relatively stable country under a monarch who tries to deal humanely with this mixed population. Those from both current and early migrations find a relatively safe haven in a turbulent Middle East situation. We visited with the Latin Patriarch, Bishop Salim Sayegh. The Bishop is very much involved with the support of refugees who find their way to the Catholic Church and its organizations, especially an organization called The Italian Hospital, staffed by the Comboni Sisters. It has become a charity hospital, giving care to both Muslims and Christians who cannot afford the high cost of medical treatment. Visits to refugee families here also were somewhat heartrending. The conditions in which people must live are difficult, yet we heard no complaints anyplace we went because people truly are grateful to have escaped with their lives.
Another visit was to the Nuncio, Archbishop Francis Assisi Chullikatt. The Archbishop is the Nuncio to both Jordan and Iraq. He spends most of his time in Iraq, and happened to be in Jordan and met with us, giving us an in-depth understanding of the situation in Iraq and also that of the refugees who have fled. His assignment is one packed with difficulty and danger. He described the once-Christian enclave in the Dora section of Baghdad which now has been evacuated and is devoid of any Christians. He was seeking our help for 600 families who have no other relatives in or outside of Baghdad to whom they can flee. They will need immediate attention. The U.S. Ambassador Daniel Rubenstein gave us a particularly good explanation of the difficult situation. It is not an easy post. We listened to many different voices in the area and they all spoke on the same theme, the need for assistance well beyond the capabilities of any one country to provide.
Refugees in Syria
The last country we visited was Syria. Syria is a secular state with a multi-cultural and religious foundation. Syria is host to 1.2 million displaced persons from Iraq. They share a long border with Iraq and have always had close relationships with the Iraqi people. The generosity of Syria in leaving its borders open provides a safety net for those wishing some respite from a terrible situation in Iraq. Damascus claims to be the oldest inhabited city in the world. We certainly know from the New Testament the story of St. Paul, who on the road to Damascus underwent a conversion as he was thrown from his horse. The Old Roman Road which Paul took still exists. We visited the Shrine Church of the Miraculous Conversion, now attended by the Franciscans of the Holy Land Custos. There too we found refugees being housed temporarily as they make their way to find a new life in Syria.
The United States does not have full diplomatic relations with Syria as we have lowered the level of diplomatic relations with that nation. Michael Corbin, the Charge d'Affaires at the Embassy, gave us a good understanding of the current situation in Iraq and its relations to Syria. Visits to the Red Crescent Society and the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR) also gave us a better insight into how the country was coping with an addition of almost 10 percent to its population, an incredible feat for a country like Syria. Here we also visited the local Caritas, or Catholic Charities organization, which dealt directly with the refugees.
Sisters Work with Refugees
One particularly difficult part of the trip was listening to Sister Theresa Musalan, of the Sisters of the Good Shepherd, which congregation by the way also ministered here in the Diocese of Brooklyn. Sister Theresa described the work of the Sisters who work with "at-risk" women and children. So heartfelt is her love for the refugees, given the desperate nature of their plight, that Sister Theresa was in tears by the end of her presentation.
Cardinal McCarrick and I also had an opportunity to visit with the president of Syria, Bashar Al-Assad. Although Syria has been accused of being an accomplice in arms trafficking into Iraq, it was hard to tell from the president's demeanor and concern for the refugees from Iraq being welcomed that he was part of the reason for the conflagration.
As the mission came to an end and as I reflected on what was seen, I recognized the same situation I have seen time and time again in my many years working with refugee situations.
One interesting painting by an Iraqi refugee, which is reproduced on Page 4, has a captioned title, "It takes courage to live as a refugee." How true it is, and how much it is like "putting out into the deep," to leave one's country to find a new life. This is especially true for the children who are displaced and who for the most part have no opportunity to continue their education. It is probably the most pitiful part of the discovery. The United States is allocating funds for the continuing education, at least on an informal basis, for these displaced children. One hopes that the program will work and the children will not be retarded in their life's education.
As our group completes its final report, I hope we can become good advocates for those people displaced from Iraq in the current war. Join me in praying for them and for eventual peace in Iraq and the possible return of many to their homeland, although it seems that Christians will find little future in Iraq in the current direction in which that country is going. Perhaps someday we will have the opportunity to resettle some of these refugees here in the Diocese, as well as in other places in the country.
Welcoming the stranger, especially those in desperate straits, is the work commended to us by the Lord Himself. Would that we be judged well by our love and support for those most in need.
