Surrey, Wednesday 23^rd July 2008

On the occasion of his visit to the United Kingdom, His Excellency Bishop Andreas Abouna, auxiliary to the Patriarch of Babylon and of the Chaldeans, visited ICIN and met the Executive council, whom he knows very well for many years.

He expressed his sadness on the current desperate situation of the Iraqi Christians but assured every one of their strong faith and endurance.

Bishop Andreas Abouna explained that the mass emigration has led to half of Iraq’s Christians fleeing for fear of their lives. With many of the Christian refugees flooding into Syria, Church leaders are trying to provide shelter, food and medical support for people who are homeless and afraid.

He once again welcomed the solidarity Mass that was held by H.E. the Archbishop of Westminster, June 2008, and expressed his deepest thanks to the British public as well as those Iraqi living in the country. He praised ICIN for their hard work in raising awareness of the plight of Iraq’s Christians and for their support in helping the Iraqi Christians in need during this difficult time.

ICIN reviewed his Excellency the different ways in which the charity is helping the displaced Iraqi Christians.  He welcomed ICIN’s activities and encouraged them in their effort to relieve some of the financial hardships which the Christians Iraqi refugees are suffering from whether within or outside Iraq. He praised ICIN for their hard work not only in raising money for the distressed Iraqi Christians but also for their efforts in raising awareness of the plight of the Iraqi Christians amongst the British people.

Bishop Abouna was also informed of ICIN’s meeting with Bishop Alan Hopes, auxiliary bishop of Westminster with responsibility for ethnic chaplaincies, who during a meeting which he organised between ICIN delegates and the Iraqi clergy, his Excellency commended ICIN’s work and told the Iraqi chaplains that it is a good way of taking some of the burden from the clergy and an excellent way in which the British people are contributing to the relief of the sufferings of the Iraqi Christians.  His Excellency also recommended that the Iraqi clergy should advertise ICIN in their meetings and newsletters.

Bishop Abouna reported on the joyful time Christian college students had in their celebration of ‘World Youth Day’ which ICIN supports. This event coincided with the Pope’s celebration in Sidney,  Australia. It included over a thousand students from different parts of Baghdad attended by the Patriarch of the Chaldeans and the clergy. Pictures are displayed on our website of this gathering.

N.B.

Bishop Abouna was ordained Bishop

on the 6th of January 2003  by

His Holiness Pope John Paul II.