During the inauguration of the new Umm al-Noor Syriac Orthodox Church in Erbil, Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem IIm, the Syriac Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, thanked the people of the Kurdistan Region for hosting thousands of Christians that fled ISIS.
“We have people who open their hearts before opening their towns and villages to receive our people, thus representing the goodness that God put in their hearts. Not scared by these refugees, demonstrating and showing the love of God and their faith, strong faith, [they] received our people and assured them of the utmost care.”
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“True, [the Kurdistan Region] is not the richest, doesn’t have resources at times, is in crisis because of many reasons, but the little they had, they shared it with our people and this is very much appreciated and will always be remembered.
“I was here only a couple days after our people arrived in 2014 but I will always remember. I saw the misery of all. I saw them sitting on the sidewalks under the burning sun of August. Today, when I come and see our people here, with this beautiful cathedral, it only confirms my faith in God and in humanity.
“As we celebrate this very special day, once again, we offer our gratitude and appreciation to the people of the region of Kurdistan, and especially to the [Kurdistan Regional] government, which spared no efforts to make our people comfortable here.”
The Church leader said that the opening of this new church could not have happened without the “kindness of the people of the [Kurdistan Region] and without the wisdom, the courage, and the goodwill of the government of the region represented and instructed by the wisdom of the leader of the region, President Masoud Barzani.”
He also thanked the Ninth Cabinet led by Prime Minister Masrour Barzani. “We are grateful to you, Mr. Prime Minister, and to your entire cabinet and all those who work with you. We ask you humbly to convey our gratitude and our appreciation to all of them, and as a sign and token of our love for this region, which is our region, part of our homeland, we wanted to, on this day, bring a blessing to this region.”
He also thanked Kurdistan Region President Nechirvan Barzani for his support.
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Patriarch Aphrem II said they brought a piece of the Zunoro, also known as the Holy Girdle of Mary, from the Church in Homs, Syria. “We wanted to express our gratitude and our love for the people of Kurdistan by presenting a small part of this Zunoro to be kept in the Church of the Virgin Mary, a blessing for the whole people of Kurdistan, Muslims and Christians.”
“The Virgin Mary is that unique saint who brings together the followers of these two religions. Both respect the word Mary, and both ask for prayers. So this will be a shrine, and will be a blessing for the entire people of the Kurdistan Region,” he concluded.
