Iraqi Catholic Church in U.S. Torn by Immigration Efforts
In opposition to church officials, some Iraqis in the U.S. have been helping Christians escape Iraq
Father Noel Gorgis celebrates Mass at a home in El Cajon, Calif., in late August. Father Gorgis has been trying to get more Iraqi Christians, known as Chaldeans, in the U.S., and was expelled from his post at the church in July.
PHOTO: SANDY HUFFAKER FOR THE WALL STREET JOURNAL
By IAN LOVETT
Sept. 22, 2016 7:38 p.m. ET 0 COMMENTS
EL CAJON, Calif.—The backyard gathering was part Catholic Mass, part rebellion.
The priest, an Iraqi immigrant, had been kicked out of the local church. Parishioners had been warned by local church leaders not to worship with him. Yet 50 people sat in makeshift pews behind a home east of San Diego in a show of opposition to church officials urging Christians to stay in Iraq, where their numbers are dwindling.
“There is no future for Christians in Iraq,” said Bahaa Gandor, a 31-year-old who fled the country in 2010. “We have to bring them here.”
The Chaldean Catholic Church, a nearly 2,000-year-old branch of Christianity based in Iraq, is at war with itself over how to ensure its survival. And the dispute is threatening to fracture this ancient faith.
http://www.wsj.com/articles/iraqi-ca...rts-1474587489
