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Prince Charles makes personal donation to help Iraqi Christians


Prince Charles with Mr Kyrke-Smith

Prince Charles with Mr Kyrke-Smith

HRH The Prince of Wales has made a personal donation to help Christians terrorised in northern Iraq and offered a heartfelt message of sympathy and support. The payment – which is being made through Aid to the Church in Need, the international charity for persecuted Christians – will go to provide food, shelter and medicine for Christians taking refuge in the Kurdish north of the country.

In August alone, 120,000 Christians fled their ancient homelands in the Nineveh plains after the region was seized by forces from the extremist terror group Islamic State.

The Prince's substantial donation – the amount of which is not being disclosed – comes amid serious concerns about the plight of Christians, Yizidis and other minorities who left their homes with nothing as the extremists advanced threatening genocide.

In response to a growing humanitarian catastrophe, Chaldean Patriarch Louis Raphael I Sako of Baghdad, the head of Iraq’s largest Christian community, has assembled a task force to provide urgently needed help for people seeking refuge in Church-run centres close to the Kurdish capital, Ankawa and other towns and villages further north.

Writing to Patriarch Sako to express his condolences and the assurance of prayers, The Prince pays tribute to the Church leader’s work to provide emergency help and support. Acknowledging the letter, the Patriarch thanks The Prince for his compassion and concern.

Working together with other Christian communities, Chaldean Archbishops Amel Nona of Mosul and Bashar Warda of Erbil are using ACN aid to provide basic relief for people seeking shelter away from temperatures of up to 44C.

In Erbil, up to 70,000 refugees are spread across 22 reception points where they are receiving basic food parcels, mattresses and medicine. One such reception point is St Joseph’s Cathedral, Ankawa, where 670 families have been receiving emergency help living under tarpaulin or in the shade of buildings.

Last month, an Aid to the Church in Need delegation led by International Executive President Baron Johannes Heereman and Director of Projects Regina Lynch carried out a fact-finding and project assessment trip to Erbil and other parts of Kurdistan.

The letter and the gift from HRH The Prince of Wales comes after he hosted an Advent reception for Middle East Christians at Clarence House, Central London. At the event, on 17 December, His Royal Highness stated: “It seems to me that we cannot ignore the fact that Christians in the Middle East are increasingly being targeted by fundamentalist Islamist fanatics.Christianity was literally born in the Middle East and we must not forget our Middle Eastern brothers in Christ.”

ACN's director, Neville Kyrke-Smith said: “This support is of immense encouragement and shows solidarity with Christians who are facing the threat of extinction in the Biblical homelands. We hope and pray that this generous act of kindness may inspire others to commit themselves to stand up for all those who suffer for their faith.”

Source: ACN

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