Christian refugees in Iraq putting their trust in the Church, not politicians

Displaced Christians from Nineveh Valley are looking towards the Church for leadership because they do not trust politicians to govern the region.

The Christians are becoming impatient to return to the homes they fled from but they remain divided as to whether the region should be under Iraq or Kurdistan. Kurdish authorities seek to add Nineveh Valley as a separate province of the state but Baghdad wants to retain control of the area once it is completely liberated.

Enad al-Dalakta, a teacher from the town of Bartella, wants the Kurds to take control of Nineveh Valley because he is skeptical of Iraqi politicians.

"We are already part of Kurdistan, and that's better for us than the Iraqi government," said al-Dalakta to Rudaw, a Kurdish publication. He complained that even the Christian members of the Iraqi parliament were not able to help.

"The trust in politicians is gone," he continued. They just talk, while the Church is helping. The Church will have a bigger role after we return. Now it actually already does what the government should be doing," al-Dalakta added.

Father Bashar Klthea, a Syrian Catholic priest, does not trust the Kurds and believes they want the region for their own selfish interests.

It was reported in 2010 that the Kurds opposed the establishment of a Christian enclave because they wanted to annex Nineveh Valley.

Marwan Butrus Jiji, a Syrian Catholic lawyer, wants the Nineveh Valley to become an autonomous region in coordination with Kakei and Shabak minorities as well as the Iraqi government. He believes that Kurds and Church representatives should cooperate with the U.N. in finding a solution.

"I believe the process will fail if it is not led by the church. Our only hope is the church," Jiji said to Rudaw.

While Christians disagree on who should control the region, churches continue to support displaced families. Klthea's church is looking after 6,600 families in Ainkawa and Al-Dalakta is active in helping 500 families at the Syrian Orthodox Church.