Catholic Archbishop of Mosul: ‘Islam Does Not Say That All Men Are Equal’
August 18, 2014 - 10:56 AM
(CNSNews.com) – Amel Shimoun Nona, the Chaldean Catholic archbishop of Mosul, Iraq, who is now living in exile, warned that his diocese is now run by radical Muslims and that “liberal and democratic principles are worth nothing here,” adding that “Islam does not say that all men are equal,” and if Westerners “do not understand this soon enough, you will become the victims of the enemy you have welcomed into your home.”
The Chaldean Catholic Church is an Eastern Rite church, under the authority of Pope Francis. In an interview with Corriere della Sera, Archbishop Amel Nona, now living in exile in Erbil, in Kurdistan Iraq, commented on his diocese in Mosul being overrun by radical Islamists.
“Our sufferings today are the prelude of those that you, Europeans and Western Christians, will also suffer in the near future,” said the archbishop. “I lost my diocese. The physical setting of my apostolate has been occupied by Islamic radicals who want us converted or dead. But my community is still alive.”
“Please, try to understand us,” he said. “Your liberal and democratic principles are worth nothing here. You must consider again our reality in the Middle East, because you are welcoming in your countries an ever growing number of Muslims.”
Catholic Archbishop of Mosul: ‘Islam Does Not Say That All Men Are Equal’
Catholic Church in Mosul destroyed. (AP)
“Also, you are in danger,” said the archbishop. “You must take strong and courageous decisions, even at the cost of contradicting your principles.”
“You think all men are equal, but that is not true: Islam does not say that all men are equal,” said Archbishop Nona. “Your values are not their values. If you do not understand this soon enough, you will become the victims of the enemy you have welcomed in your home.”
The Chaldean Catholic Church traces its roots back to Thomas the Apostle, one of the original 12 apostles with Jesus Christ. The church grew widely between the 9th and 14th centuries in the Middle East. The actual diocese of Mosul was established in 1967, with the main church being St. Paul’s Cathedral, and as an Eastern Rite Church is in communion with the Western Rite Catholic Church, under the authority of Pope Francis.
The blog Rorate Caeli was the first to report on Archbishop Nona’s statement over the weekend.
http://www.cnsnews.com/news/article/michael-w-chapman/catholic-archbishop-mosul-islam-does-not-say-all-men-are-equal
