Chaldean Patriarch Supports Peace March in Iraq During Holy Week

The Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Sako has expressed support for a peace march during Holy Week in Iraq, a journey spanning more than 80 miles. The event, part of the Chaldean Catholic Church’s 2017 Year of Peace, aims to promote reconciliation and dialogue amid ongoing violence in the Middle East. The march will begin on Palm Sunday, April 9, with a Mass in Irbil, and will conclude in Alqosh, in the Ninevah Plain.

Patriarch Sako emphasized that peace must be pursued by both religious leaders and politicians through “courageous initiatives and responsible decisions.” He called for “serious dialogue, openness and honesty” to achieve national reconciliation in Iraq, a country marked by sectarian conflict and the aftermath of the Islamic State’s brutal rule. The march is intended as a “great occasion for unity,” uniting Iraqi communities and churches in a shared effort against violence and bloodshed.

The journey from Irbil to Alqosh, approximately 140 kilometers, will take several days. Patriarch Sako plans to join the march in a village near Alqosh on Holy Thursday, April 13. The event also includes a parallel Way of the Cross in France, where a group from Lyon will walk through villages from Telaskov to Bakova, symbolizing solidarity with Iraqi Christians.

The peace initiative highlights the resilience of Iraq’s Christian community, which remains the Middle East’s fourth-largest indigenous Christian group despite enduring persecution and displacement. The march serves as a reminder of the region’s rich Christian history and the ongoing struggle for recovery after years of conflict and destruction.

Telaskov, once a thriving town of 11,000, was transformed into a “ghost town” following the Islamic State’s 2014 attack. Christians fled, leaving behind a city littered with mines and booby traps. Efforts to rebuild and revive the town are underway, with hopes that its infrastructure can be restored and its community reestablished.

Last September, the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Irbil reported receiving no U.N. or U.S. government-administered humanitarian aid for 70,000 Christian and Yezidi survivors of what has been designated as genocide. The peace march underscores the need for continued support and international solidarity in the face of such atrocities.

Micah 6:8 calls for justice, mercy, and humble service, themes that resonate with the efforts of religious leaders and communities striving for peace and reconciliation in a region marked by suffering and division.

Source: Read the original report