Christians in Iraq have been declared a national priority by Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi, who pledged to include returning families in an ongoing government program offering one million residential plots. The Prime Minister’s remarks will be discussed at the upcoming meeting of Iraqi Catholic bishops scheduled for August. During a meeting held in Baghdad on 11 July with the newly elected Patriarch of the Chaldean Church, His Beatitude Paul III Nona, the Prime Minister emphasized the community’s essential role:
“The return of Christians who were forced to leave the country due to the difficult circumstances Iraq endured is a national and government priority. Iraq’s true strength lies in its national, religious, and cultural diversity, and in the unity, integration, and social cohesion of its people. Christians are an active component, an essential part of Iraqi society, and a key partner in building the state and shaping Iraq’s history and future”.
Iraq was home to around 1.5 million Christians in the year 2000, but successive waves of migration depleted the population to fewer than 300 thousand today. Beyond the instability triggered by the 2003 invasion and the toppling of Saddam Hussein’s regime, Christians were targeted by jihadist groups over the decades, most severely in 2014 during the invasion of Mosul and the Nineveh Plains by the Islamic State.
Government incentives and national vision for christians in Iraq
To encourage returnees, Prime Minister Al-Zaidi confirmed that his government is offering concrete incentives to assist returning families:
“The government remains fully committed to consolidating stability and ensuring security, justice, and sustainable civil peace for all citizens. We express the government’s complete readiness to provide all necessary facilities and support to encourage and assist the return of Christian families, which includes ensuring their immediate eligibility and inclusion in the country’s ongoing 1-million-plot residential land project”.
The Prime Minister also expressed his vision for a greater Christian contribution in vital sectors, urging businessmen in the diaspora to return and invest in the country. Christian denominations currently operate 18 schools across Iraq and a Catholic university in Erbil.
Church response and the upcoming bishops’ conference in Ankawa
Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, who was present at the meeting alongside Patriarch Paul III Nona, confirmed to Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) that the initiative was warmly received by the Church. He noted that the proposal will be addressed during the upcoming assembly:
“In August we will have the Catholic Bishops Conference meeting in Ankawa, which we have not had since 2021, since the Pope visited, and I am sure His Beatitude will address this issue”.
“The Prime Minister has lived among Christians, so he knows them very well. He said he would love to see Christians working in health and education because he trusts them, and knows the quality of the education and the healthcare they provide. He told us to count on him for whatever we need, and that is very encouraging”.
ACN’s long-term support and the Marshall Plan
Marco Mencaglia, head of ACN’s project department, welcomed the government’s stance, linking it to the organization’s ongoing commitments in the country:
“We are delighted by the Prime Minister’s remarks. His message is in line with the long-term support our benefactors have shown for the Christian community in Iraq. Following the defeat of Islamic State, in 2017 we launched what we call the ‘Marshall Plan’ to help rebuild homes in Christian towns and villages, with the aim of encouraging Christians to remain in their homeland. Our aid has enabled thousands of people to return to their homes. The project at the Catholic University of Erbil is also helping to maintain the Christian presence in the country. We hope that these additional incentives will help to ensure a strong Christian presence in the country”.
