Pontifical Council for the Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant People

People on the Move

N° 108, December 2008

CIRCULAR LETTER TO THE PRESIDENTS OF THE EPISCOPAL CONFERENCES ON THE TRAGEDY OF IRAQI REFUGEES

Vatican City, 5 May 2008

Prot. No. 3787/2008/M-R 

Your Eminence/Excellency, 

Everyone is aware of the tragic plight of many Iraqi refugees in Syria and Jordan, and also in Lebanon. This is confirmed by their sheer numbers. In Syria alone, there are around one and a half million Iraqi refugees.

The situation thus hovers between collapse and the possibility of assistance, which is costly and difficult. And as we all know, when people are suffering from hunger – in order to overcome it – they may do things that do not correspond to the human and also Christian dignity of women and of young boys and girls.

Therefore, please allow me, on behalf of the Holy See, to appeal to the BishopsÂ’ Conferences to study means for coming to the rescue of our brothers and sisters who are in quite serious difficulty, and to put such means into action by following the path they deem most suitable.

Awareness-raising efforts should definitely be aimed at local Caritas (or corresponding institutions), public opinion and the respective governments, so that the necessary funds may be allocated for assisting Iraqi refugees in the countries where they are staying, until conditions in their homeland allow them to return.

There are many needs throughout the world, but the indispensable presence of Christians in the Middle East deserves special support.

Grateful for the consideration that you may wish to give to this appeal, I am

Yours respectfully in Christ,

Renato Raffaele Cardinal Martino

President

X Archbishop Agostino Marchetto

Secretary 

_____________________________

To Their Eminences/Excellencies

Presidents of the BishopsÂ’ Conferences

in their respective sees