The young people of Iraq want a country of peace and coexistence between ethnic groups and religions
An Iraq finally without fear, violence and discrimination: this is the dream cultivated by the new generations of the country, tired of wars. They would like to stay in their land, but they need to glimpse a possible future. "They are the spearhead of the country," said Pope Francis. The programs of "Un Ponte Per" also help young people.
Adriana Masotti - Vatican City On the third day of his visit to Iraq, the Pope leaves the capital Baghdad to reach Mosul, the administrative capital of the Nineveh governorate, and Qaraqosh, the country's main Christian city. In the Nineveh Plain, a region north-east of the country, there are various ethnic and religious minorities: in addition to Christians, there are Kurds, Yazidis, Shabaki, as well as the Muslim majority. A coexistence that is difficult today due to the painful events of recent history. The occupation of this territory by the self-styled Islamic State, between 2013 and 2017, forced hundreds of thousands of families, belonging to minorities, to abandon their homes and Christians among these families.
The difficult return of minorities to their homes From Mosul alone, it is estimated that about half a million people, including over 120,000 Christians, out of a total of 1,846,500 inhabitants, fled with the arrival of Is or Daesh. Its passage meant the devastation not only of buildings, including many churches, but also of the values of mutual respect between different populations. Today, the return of displaced people to their homes is no less painful. To support the return to peaceful coexistence, the Italian NGO "Un Ponte Per" is also working, which, founded in 1991, immediately after the end of the bombings on Iraq with the name of "A Bridge for Baghdad", aimed solidarity initiatives for the Iraqi population affected by the war. Now the organization has extended its commitment to other countries, but it is still present in Iraq, especially in the Nineveh Plain, where it promotes programs for young people of animation and education for peace, dialogue and mutual knowledge, cultural cooperation projects.
Young people believe in a peaceful future. Francis in conversation with the young people of Scholas Occurrentes in Baghdad It is on young people, in fact, that one trusts for the reconstruction of the country: Pope Francis said this last Friday, speaking to the bishops, priests, religious and religious in Baghdad, defining young people as "bearers of promise and hope", Iraq's "incalculable wealth for the future", and again: "the country's spearhead", but whose patience "has already been severely tested by the conflicts of recent years". The director of "Un Ponte Per" in Iraq is Raid Michael, a Catholic of Syriac rite, a native of Qaraqosh, who lives in Erbil. To our microphones he tells about the initiatives in progress, starting from the description of the reality that today is lived in the territory where he works:
R. - Iraq has always been a country inhabited by different ethnic groups and religions and as minorities we are Christians, but there are communities of other religions who live together, especially in the Nineveh Plain where the Pope has chosen to go. Unfortunately, the social fabric that existed before was destroyed when Daesh occupied all these places, their presence was a problem for minorities, and now they are trying in every way to stay in their country because like us Christians, but also the Yazidis, for example, have been here for thousands of years as descendants of the Assyrians, of the Babylonians. This country is rich in civilizations, in resources, but it has been destroyed, especially after 2003. We hope that this Pope's visit will give hope, not only to these minorities, but to all of Iraq. It is very important because it is certainly a courageous choice, not only to be close to the Christian community, but to launch an extraordinary message of coexistence and interreligious dialogue and among the communities of this country. I think it will certainly be an encouragement, not only for Iraq, but also for the whole Middle East. The majority of Christians lived in the Plain of Nineveh, especially in Qaraqosh, but before 2003. After that, with the advent of the various extremist groups, there were strong changes.
Taking these difficulties into account, what is being done to rebuild a peaceful coexistence? What is "Un Ponte Per" doing?
R. - With "Un Ponte Per" we have been engaged here for 30 years, especially in the Nineveh Plain. We made plans after the liberation of these territories to build peace, to bring these minorities together. But this people who have suffered so much, returning to their cities after being forced to leave them, continues to suffer because now it is difficult to put all these people together, ISIS has in fact destroyed everything. We therefore tried to make programs that bring young people together to do activities, to make them feel that their presence here is important and that without peace they cannot live together. We have tried to promote initiatives to build bonds between people, including through schools by including programs to teach children about peace. And then we have created youth centers where they can exchange experiences and activities. A center in a city of Christians operates with a center where there are Muslims, so we try to bring all the communities together, favoring mutual knowledge of their respective religious places, of culture.
We work with young people because young people believe they can live in peace, they have energy and a desire to get to know others. Some guys who wanted to go and fight against others, through these programs we managed to attract them with others, offering them the opportunity to work together, to do various cultural, art, sport activities. Some young people were able to network with each other and so they sent a message to others who were involved in war or with armed military groups, to say that young people must build these lands, they must not destroy them with weapons.
Returning to the Pope's visit, what is the sentiment of young people and people? R. - The young people are very happy with this visit and hope so much. Even minorities, everyone looks to this visit with hope. The Pope comes to visit everyone. He came to Iraq to give a message of peace and coexistence among all the groups in the country. All Iraqis in general are therefore happy and there is a positive mood regarding this visit.
VATICAN NEWS - ITALY ~ HOLY SEE PRESS (Translated to English 03/07/2021) Per https://www.vaticannews.va/it/chiesa/news/2021-03/papa-francesco-iraq-minoranze-giovani-dialogo-viaggio-apostolico.html