Detroit — Bishop Francis Kalabat of the Chaldean Catholic Eparchy (diocese) of St. Thomas the Apostle told crowds in Hart Plaza on Aug. 22 that God continues to be with those suffering in Iraq.

Despite the day’s humidity, several hundred people gathered at Hart Plaza that afternoon to pray with the bishop for peace in Iraq, and for an end to the persecution of Iraqi Christians and other minorities.

“Many people ask and say ‘where is God in all of this?’” said Bishop Kalabat to the crowds. “Where was God when the second-largest city in (Iraq) falls? Where was God in all of the pain and the suffering that the people are going through — Christian and non-Christian as well?”

The answer, he explained, is “the cross that we carry in our hands,” referencing the plain, red, wooden crosses carried by numerous participants.

“God is with the poor and God is with those who are in pain, and we see this in the scriptures all the time,” Bishop Kalabat continued.

“He knew that one day we were going to suffer this way. Not only as a group, but also individually,” he said. “God is here with us. God has never left us.”

Many rally participants wore t-shirts bearing the Arabic letter “ن” (pronounced “nun”) for “Nazerene,” in solidarity with Iraqi Christians whose homes ISIS has been branding with the same letter. Christians whose homes bear the letter are issued an ultimatum: convert to Islam, or pay a heavy tax or be killed.

While a large number of participants were Chaldean Catholics, also attending were those of other Iraqi minority groups, Roman Catholic laypeople and several priests. Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron, Auxiliary Bishop Michael J. Byrnes, and Msgr. Robert McClory of the Archdiocese of Detroit were also present.

Many participants also carried banners with the messages “Stop the Genocide,” “Pray for Iraq” and “Protect the Ethnic and Religious Minorities in Iraq.”

Bishop Kalabat said that for all 2,000 years of Christianity, Christians have faced persecution of some sort.

“But we will always carry this faith, and we will always carry Christ Jesus, for we carry Christ crucified in our bodies, in our communities, in our families – amongst anyone who suffers, whether in Iraq, or China or Sudan,” he said.

The bishop said that the biggest temptation when suffering persecution is to hate the persecutors. But, he explained, though “sometimes we are in need of force to stop evil from continuing,” Christians are not “the same as the rest of the world.”

“We are called, number one, to forgive — and that’s hard,” agreed Bishop Kalabat, but, “we don’t come in with an agenda of hatred… we are a people of faith, we are a people that believe.”

He pointed out the “ن” on the numerous rally t-shirts, but explained that “from day one (Christians) have been marked. It doesn’t have to be a letter. It’s been a cross.”

Following his message to the people, Bishop Kalabat led the praying of the rosary in Arabic and English, and then the singing of the Chaplet of Divine Mercy.

Fadi Bidawid, a Chaldean Catholic from Farmington Hills attending the rally, said that he has known Bishop Kalabat for years.

Bidawid said that it is beautiful to see the plans come together in praying for and assisting Iraq, especially through the new initiative HelpIraq.org, which offers assistance to the suffering individuals in Iraq.

“Jesus’s work has been going on from the beginning,” said Bidawid. “We don’t need to talk about how bad the ‘other guy’ is; we were raised to preach Jesus’s word.”

Rafed Yaldo, a committee member of the Adopt a Refugee Family program, which runs the Mosul Relief Effort, was also present at the rally.

Yaldo said that he believes the day’s rally served to build up more awareness to the plight of Christians and other minorities in Iraq. He said he hopes that the non-Chaldean Catholic community — “our brothers and sisters” — also spreads the word about the persecution and suffering.

“We are all Christians,” he said. “Chaldean means ‘Catholic.’ We have a bond and we need (to remember) it as much as possible.”

Help Iraqi Christians

• Visit www.helpiraq.org, sponsored by St. Thomas the Apostle Chaldean Catholic Eparchy, to learn how you can help the suffering individuals in Iraq. Contact: (248) 351-0440; [email protected].

• Learn how you can assist refugees through the Adopt a Refugee Family program, which is partnered with HelpIraq.org. Visit www.adoptarefugeefamily.org, email [email protected] or call (248) 406-2052 and ask for Rita Yousif.