IRAK, FIDES. The governor of the province of Kirkuk, the Kurd Necmettin Karim, has declared that the 25th of December is a holiday, to publicly express, the solidarity of the institutions and the entire society toward Christians, on the occasion of the Celebration of the Birth of the Lord.
On that day all the public institutions of the province, including the schools – the statement that was issued by the governor’s office and that was received by the Fides agency states – observed a day of rest.
The decision was announced on Sunday, the 14th of December, during the visit to Governor Necmettin by the Chaldean Patriarch Louis Raphael I, who was accompanied by a delegation which included Monsignor Thoma Mirkis, OP, Chaldean Archbishop of Kirkuk.
During their conversation, the patriarch and the governor exchanged ideas and considerations about the conflictive political phase that the country is experiencing, centering on the problems of security and especially the emergency situation of the refugees, provoked by the conquest of Mosul and the plains of Nineveh by the Jihadists of the Islamic State (IS).
During the meeting, Governor Necmettin praised the efforts carried out by the Patriarch Louis Raphael I and by the Chaldean Church to preserve and to fortify the social harmony among the different ethnic and religious components in the country.
Article originally published by Agencia Fides
Original: Spanish – Translation: Celina M. Garza, San Antonio, TX USA
