'Christianity is in the process of being swept away': Priests call to protect Christian sites from ISIS

'What will be the future of Oriental Christianity if we don't protect or give future chances for Christians to survive and to build a future?'

When the West received news of ISIS destroying Iraq's oldest Christian monastery, Catholic priests joined the call to protect historic Christian sites from the terrorist group's agenda.

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - When Father Jeffrey Whorton, the Catholic chaplain for the US military in Iraq, viewed images of St. Elijah's remains, he told Catholic News Service that the news of the monastery's fall hit him hard.

"I had the same emotional and perhaps spiritual experience as I did when I was standing over the bodies of fallen soldiers," he admitted.

Recalling the ancient structure, Fr. Whorton recalled he was most likely the last priest to "offer Mass on that altar before it was destroyed."

Fr. Whorton read of St. Elija's destruction and described the experience as a "profound and surprisingly strong emotion...It was a kind of grief that was like a loss of life almost."

A preservation initiative starting with St. Elijah, and including other historically religious sites, was launched with Fr. Whorton's help. He believes his overwhelming emotions toward news of the site's destruction was linked to his "connection with the monastery."

"I was able to offer Mass there three or four times on that altar," Fr. Whorton recalled. "I was made very aware of the great cloud of witness."

He explained the feelings of connection with ancient Christians who congregated and worshipped at St. Elijah for the past 1,400 years and added: "In the forefront of my mind was the reality that in the 1700s, 150 or so (monks) had been martyred there. So I knew I was in a sacred place offering the holy sacrifice of the Mass.

"I felt extremely unworthy standing at the venerable altar. That, along with celebrating with the Holy Father, was the highlight of my entire priesthood."

Fr. Whorton explained how people were forced to physically bend down to enter the monastery, which he described as a "humble acquiescence of bending low for this great space that you are entering."

A piece of wood resembling a yoke rested above the nave's entrance, which Fr. Whorton referenced, saying: "For me, there was a kind of putting on a yoke of Christ and to bend low into that space where my fallen brothers and sisters had died (centuries ago). It was extremely emotional and a spiritually palpable event for me.

"God became present once again on that ancient altar as he has done thousands and thousands of time [sic] throughout the 1,400 years of its existence. That's the weight of glory."

St. Elijah's demise created great pain for Fr. Whorton, who admitted: "I did not realise until I saw the pictures of the destruction that I would be one of the ones to literally close the door on this ancient church. I hope that I closed it with all the necessary decorum that is due to such a venerable place."

While Fr. Whorton mourns the loss of yet another historically religious site, Father Najeeb Michaeel continues to preserve Christian manuscripts in digital forms - a method of preservation he began in 1990 after founding the Center for the Digitization of Oriental Manuscripts.

ISIS' ongoing destruction of Christian sites included a mosque built over the tomb of the prophet Jonah.

Father Laurent Lemoine, who works with Fr. Michaeel, explained, "[W]e're trying to save these cultural artifacts because in northern Iraq it seems that everything is on the road to destruction: people of course, but also our cultural heritage. The artifacts were almost destroyed several times.

"Across the region, Christianity is in the process of being swept away. Mass has been celebrated in Mosul for 1,600 years. This year was the first time that there hasn't been a Mass in all that time."

With America preoccupied with the fight against ISIS, ongoing political issues with Russia and the Assad regime, the presidential candidacy and more, it is unlikely resources to protect Middle Eastern religious sites can be spared -but one can hope.

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'

Copyright 2021 - Distributed by Catholic Online