HALF OF Iraq's Christian population has left the country in the last five years, according to Bishop Andreas Abouna of Baghdad.

In an interview with the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, which supports persecuted Christians around the world, Bishop Abouna said that the number who have fled Baghdad could even be as high as 75 per cent.

Speaking during a visit to London last week, the bishop described how the state of anarchy in Iraq was driving away his flock. "What we are hearing now is the alarm bell for Christianity in Iraq. When so many are leaving from a small community like ours, you know that it is dangerous - dangerous for the future of the Church in Iraq," he said.

The bishop estimated that 600,000 Christians had left since 2002 - most of them going to Turkey, Jordan and Syria, where they sought sanctuary, initially on a temporary basis. The signs of them returning in the near future, however, were "increasingly bleak".

While stressing that Christians were not being targeted any more than other groups, Bishop Abouna spoke of how the faithful felt especially isolated and vulnerable as their numbers dwindle. Those left behind were the most vulnerable and had been too poor or too weak to leave. Many were out of a job and lacking food and other vital supplies.

A year ago Bishop Abouna lobbied hard to ensure that the freedom of Christians was enshrined in Iraq's constitution, but now, he says, the political process has failed and he describes a situation of complete turmoil. "Everyone is asking: when will the violence stop? They want to rest. They cannot live like this - every day there are these terrible things."