CUA's School of Theology and Religious Studies hosted a panel discussion entitled "Will Christianity Survive in the Middle East?" with special guest Bishop Francis Kalabat of the Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle. The discussion was featured in publications by Christian Today and Christian Daily. See below.
From: Christian Daily Date: November 24, 2016 Author: Lorraine Caballero
...On Nov. 17, Bishop Kalabat spoke at the Catholic University of America and relayed the systematic persecution of Middle East Christians. The bishop, who visited Iraq in September, noted that some of the Christians there were given 24 hours to leave or die, and described how ISIS destroyed the relationship between Christians and Muslims in Iraq, the National Catholic Reporter details.
"They not only destroyed buildings, but they destroyed relations between neighbors," said Bishop Kalabat. "Many (Iraqi Muslims intimidated by Islamic State) turned in their Christian neighbors and that has built up a lot of mistrust."
In light of the genocide that ISIS committed against Christians in the Middle East, Bishop Kalabat proposed setting up courts and organizing programs to deal with all kinds of trauma the victims face. He urged the public to take action to preserve Chaldean Catholics' history as it is currently being destroyed.
"They (Iraqi Catholics) are survivors, but is it enough just to be in survival mode all the time?" Bishop Kalabat added. "Don't you want to live? Don't you want to thrive? Don't you want to be able to give?"...