Yesterday morning, nearly 200 people gathered at the Albert 1er garden in Nice for a meeting deemed necessary in light of what the Christians of the East are experiencing, especially in Iraq. Initiated by the mayor of the city, Christian Estrosi, and Father Gil Fiorini, the departmental delegate of the association l’Oeuvre d’Orient.
Members of various religious communities, activists, or citizens, all unite for the same cause: to help the Christians of the East.
For them, it is important to “support the oppressed.” Michel Abada, co-organizer of the seventh demonstration that took place last night, at Place Massรฉna โ aimed at supporting the victims of Gaza โ, held up a sign that read: “Support for the Christians and Mandaeans of Iraq.” “The Mandaeans are a Christian people still living in Iraq today,” he explains.
Others hold a white sheet of paper with only a single letter in Arabic (noun) on it. The letter N for Nazarene, painted on the walls of Christian homes in Mosul to identify them, convert them, or kill them if they refuse. A true segregation and injustice suffered by the Christians of Iraq.
Moreover, Father Fiorini speaks of a โcleansing to denounce, a religious genocide.โ
In a solemn tone, the condition of the Christians in Mosul was denounced by Christian Estrosi and Eric Ciotti. Words were listened to attentively, thus breaking the silence. With or without signs, believers or laypeople, they all felt this common need to denounce what the Christians are experiencing in Mosul, Iraq.
โSigns have been placed on the doors of Christians there to designate them for hatred, just as was done here, barely seventy years ago, on the doors of Jews. Their properties were stolen, their families threatened, their women and children, their elderly were brutalized,โ said the indignant mayor of Nice. โ[โฆ] In an emergency, the city of Nice and the Metropolis will participate in providing humanitarian relief, in food, clothing, shelters, useful to families cast out on the roads, away from their homes, and will welcome injured children at Lenval,โ he added.
The words of Monsignor Andrรฉ Marceau, bishop of Nice, closed the demonstration: โI invite all Catholic parishes and each of their members not to slacken in this dynamic of prayer. Our solidarity must also be expressed through our generosity to materially assist these communities. L’ลuvre d’Orient, a usual partner of the Churches of the East, can rightly help us to inform ourselves and reflect.
Perhaps we will have to welcome those who โchooseโ to come to us. Are our communities considering this? But, is exile a good solution? Who has the right answer?โ.
