‘Existential crisis: Keeping religious minorities in the Middle East’
Up to 2003, there were almost 1.2 million Christians in Iraq. Now, there could be as few as 150,000. In Syria, before the civil war there were 1.5 million Christians – now there are perhaps fewer than 500,000.
Aid to the Church in Need’s parliamentary event, chaired by Dr Lisa Cameron SNP MP, will be asking: do Christians have a future in the Middle East? Do other religious minorities? How can the damage done by Daesh (ISIS)’s genocidal actions be reversed?
Speaking will be Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, Iraq, and Sister Annie Demerjian of Aleppo, Syria. Both have first-hand experience of ministering to a flock suffering extreme persecution and poverty.
Joining them will be Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Birmingham William Kenney, who will give his insight on the problem after more than three decades of experience as a bishop, with a background in inter-religious dialogue.
Please let us know if you are intending to come to the event, as there are limited spaces available that will be given out on a first come first served basis.
Please allow at least 40 minutes to access the venue. Airport-style security is in place. Please bring a copy of this invitation on the day.