8月7日，多倫多天主教教區總主教Thomas Collins 樞機發表聲明譴責迫害伊拉克基督徒事件，並邀請大家為他們祈禱。
多倫多教區鼓勵各堂區及大家一起以行動聲援為受迫害的伊拉克基督徒而舉行的活動。包括:
– 慷慨捐助緊急援助機構“Catholic Near East Welfare Association” (CNEWA)。此機構由教宗庇護十一世於1926年創辦，主要是為在世界各地受迫害的基督徒提供人道援助和牧民上的支持。
– 和平遊行: 在8月10日(主日)，於下午3時30分在多倫多市中心舉行，由Front夾Bay街開始步行至Queen’s Park;
– 在教區內的所有堂區為此事持續地祈禱;
– 祈求和平祈禱會: 在9月7日(主日)，於下午3時在多倫多市中心的聖保祿大殿(St. Paul’s Basilica)舉行，由Thomas Collins 樞機主持。
請大家踴躍參與，並為受迫害的伊拉克基督徒祈禱，願他們平安及當地能早日得享和平。
A Prayer For The End to Conflict In the Middle East
We pray for Christians suffering persecution throughout the world and in a special way, we pray for Christians in Mosul and other places in the Middle East.
We pray for an end to violence and war in the Middle East and in other areas of conflict around the world.
We pray for the souls of all those who have died as a result of the violence, and for their families, and their loved ones.
為結束在中東的衝突禱詞
我們為在世界各地遭受迫害的基督徒祈禱，特別為在摩蘇爾及中東地區等地的基督徒祈禱。
我們為在中東和其他在世界各地正發生衝突的地區能結束暴力和戰爭祈禱。
我們為所有死於暴力之下的亡者靈魂、以及他們的家人和親人祈禱。
Statement from Cardinal Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto re: Iraqi Christians
August 7, 2014
Far away from the comfort of our television screens, tablets and newspapers, a tragedy continues to unfold in Iraq. Islamist extremists, intent on eliminating any trace of Christianity, have cast out tens of thousands of Christians, a people with an almost 2,000-year history in the region.
Shortly after I began my mission as Archbishop of Toronto, 7 years ago, the Archbishop of Mosul visited me and shared his hopes for caring for his community. He wanted to build a little school, and we tried to help him. He also told me of what his people were suffering even then. Now Mosul, one of the oldest Christian communities in the world, is devoid of any trace of Christianity. Churches have been desecrated and destroyed. Families have been told they must convert to Islam or die.
Scenes unfold daily of residents forced to flee their homes, stripped of their possessions, right down to the crosses around their necks, while others are murdered, martyrs literally laying down their lives for their faith. In 2003, there were an estimated one million Christians in Iraq; some suggest that no more than 150,000 remain today.
U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon has stated that this persecution could be considered a “crime against humanity”. Iraqi Christians have been begging the world to help them. It is fair to question whether the world is listening?
From a distance, we ask ourselves, what to do? It is good that our Prime Minister has condemned this violence in Iraq. We can urge the Canadian government to use its full diplomatic influence to support the demands of the Archbishops of Mosul, led by His Beatitude Patriarch Mar Louis Raphael Sako. These faith leaders have urged the Iraqi national government to:
• Provide full protection of all religious rights and those of other minorities who wish to remain in their homeland.
• Offer financial support for displaced families who have lost everything.
• Compensate victims for damages and losses suffered by Christians, providing immediate shelter and educational facilities to those forced now to live in refugee camps.
In Canada, I appeal to our government to expand available spaces for Iraqi Christians seeking refuge in our country, and to remove any bureaucratic impediments to their reception. The Catholic Archdiocese of Toronto, through the generosity of our parishes, has sponsored 820 refugees from the Middle East, many Iraqi Christians, over the past three years. As the largest Canadian private sponsor of refugees from the region, we stand ready to welcome more, with parishes mobilized to facilitate sponsorship and settlement at a moment’s notice. Let us accelerate the process at once.
We would do well to follow the lead of countries like France, that have announced publicly their intention to provide asylum for those who are persecuted. Canada should take immediate action to provide a safe haven for those forced to flee their homeland. In Iraq, religious freedom is not just being tested; it is being assaulted.
As always, we join in prayer and solidarity with our Christian brothers and sisters in Iraq. In the words of Pope Francis, “Violence will not win over violence. Violence is won over by peace!” Let us pray for an authentic peace in Iraq and in so many other troubled places in the world.
資料來源: 多倫多天主教教區