Iraq: Exiled bishop returning as Patriarch: 'Fear cannot define our future'

Patriarch-Elect Amel Shamon Nona © ACN

Source: ACN

A decade after being forced to flee Iraq during the brutal rise of Daish (ISIS), an archbishop is returning to become head of the country's Chaldean Church - bringing a message of firm belief tried by suffering.

Speaking ahead of his installation in Baghdad on 29th May, Patriarch-Elect Amel Shamon Nona, who was Archbishop of Mosul until the mass displacement of Christians by Daesh in 2014, told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that his experience of persecution had shaped his leadership.

He said: "It was a very difficult but defining time. Being a bishop in a city in constant danger, where every week or month someone was killed, left a deep mark on me. But it also taught me that the faith of our people is their true anchor. Despite everything, they kept their hope alive."

Patriarch Nona added: "To suffer for being a faithful believer certainly deepens your way of looking at life…. That is the hope I carry into this new mission. They suffered immensely, yet they have this deep, unshakable belief."

The new head of the Chaldean Church has chosen as his motto "Do not be afraid, just believe" - taken from chapter five of St Mark's Gospel - describing fear as "the biggest challenge in the world today".

He succeeds at a time of continuing uncertainty for Christians across the Middle East, where conflict, instability and emigration have decimated historic communities.

The prelate called on the international community to stop conflict in the region, saying recurring wars were undermining stability.

He said: "We cannot accept that every year there is a new war. The people of the Middle East want to live in serenity… we need the world to stop turning our land into a constant battlefield."

One key challenge for the new patriarch will be addressing the growing divide between those remaining in the region and the growing diaspora overseas.

Patriarch Nona, who has spent the past decade shepherding the Chaldean Church in Australia, said his priority is to "build a bridge" between the two.

He said: "The original home of our Church is in Iraq, but today the majority of our people live abroad," adding that younger generations are searching for identity and faith.

Addressing young people considering emigration, he said: "Wherever you are, you have a mission… Practice your faith, preach it through your actions, and live as the Lord wants."

Patriarch Nona thanked ACN for its support - particularly during the period that Daesh had seized control of Iraq's Nineveh Plains.

He said: "ACN has worked very well with us in the past, and I believe we will continue that vital work together to ensure that our people have a future and above all, that they have hope."

Original interview by Maria Lozano

LINK

Aid to the Church in Need: https://acnuk.org