Christian leaders will talk next week about their efforts to rebuild Iraqi towns and villages liberated from the jihadist group Islamic State (IS), in meetings across the north west in Lancaster, Liverpool, Manchester and Preston.
Aid to the Church in Need, the charity that helps persecuted Christians around the world, has arranged the talks. Fr Salar Kajo, parish priest of St George’s Church, Teleskof, Iraq, who is overseeing the resettlement of a town overrun and destroyed by Islamist militants twice since 2014, will be accompanied by Stephen Rasche, programme co-ordinator for the return of Christian refugees of the Chaldean Catholic Archdiocese of Erbil. Bishop Matthew Kukah of Sokoto (pictured) in northern Nigeria will join them to speak about the needs of his people in an area still blighted by the violence of the Boko Haram militants.
The speakers will discuss their work with secondary school children in Preston and Manchester on 9 and 10 October. They will also give a free talk to the public at the Lancaster University Catholic Chaplaincy Centre on 9 October and at the Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, Liverpool, on 10 October.
After that, they will travel to London to join other international guests for the Aid to the Church in Need event at Westminster Cathedral on 14 October. Mass will be followed by talks in the cathedral hall and a presentation of the charity’s latest annual report into global persecution – “Persecuted and Forgotten? A report on Christians Oppressed for Their Faith.”
Dr Caroline Hull, manager of the north west office of Aid to the Church in Need, said the talks will “raise awareness of very topical issues”. She said: “People of all faiths and none are very interested in what’s going on [in Iraq and Nigeria]. Although they hear about it on the news, listening to someone who has been there, caring for people and hearing their individual stories about difficult situations makes it easier to relate to. Plus they can ask questions afterwards.” She added: “There’s often tears and laughter during the talks, they’re very moving.”
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