Baghdad (Agenzia Fides) - Among the factors which encourage the exodus of Christians from Iraq there is also the practice adopted by many foreign embassies and consulates that facilitate the granting of visas for asylum to Iraqi Christians. The phenomenon was again stigmatized with concern by the Iraqis Catholic bishops, who met in extraordinary Council in Baghdad on 5 November at the invitation of the Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans Louis Raphael I Sako. This was reported by official sources of the Iraqi Patriarchate consulted by Fides Agency.
The process of "organized migration" has been repeatedly reported with alarm by the Chaldean Patriarch, who during last week's meeting suggested to consult the other Churches and Christian communities in Iraq in order to respond, with concrete and shared measures, to this phenomenon that contributes to jeopardizing the continued existence of the community of the baptized in different areas of the Middle East. (GV) (Agenzia Fides 11/11/2013)