Ms Áine O'Reilly:

In commending the committee for taking up this theme of the ongoing persecution of Christians, as a proud citizen of this country, I believe many Irish citizens, Christian and others would like to see our political representatives and our Government giving much greater attention to this issue. In particular, we ask the committee to provide direct aid to the Christian churches in the Middle East and to other persecuted religious groups so that they can rebuild their communities and infrastructure and protect that which has not been destroyed. If they are to survive they have urgent and particular needs which they alone are best placed to provide. They are also best placed to identify where to provide humanitarian assistance in the most difficult to reach areas which are experiencing immediate violence and oppression. We ask the committee to assist the various Irish aid agencies in providing direct financial support to Christian and other religious communities in the Middle East without fear of being accused at home of being sectarian or giving offence to secularism in a predominantly Christian country. This is a real concern among Christian aid agencies which the committee can help to address. We ask the committee to use its political influence to raise awareness of this issue where possible.

In commending the committee's decision to hold this hearing, we encourage the committee to recommend a full Dáil debate on the ongoing persecution of Christians and respect for religious freedom and the particular plight of persecuted Christians across the world. We ask the committee to encourage the Government and Irish MEPs to use their influence in the European institutions to give greater political priority to addressing this issue at a European and international level.

This includes the need to address the complexity of issues in international relations that contribute to the ongoing conflict and instability across the region of the Middle East.

In keeping with its Christian roots and founding ideals, we appeal to members committee and, through them, to Europe to open wide the doors of our nations to the numerous refugees fleeing religious persecution in the Middle East. Many of them wish to return to their homeland at the earliest possible opportunity. Just as we did some decades ago for the Vietnamese boat people, let us open our shores, our homes and our vacant buildings in a welcoming and reassuring embrace to those fleeing the most brutal attacks by introducing special temporary immigrant schemes focused on responding to this issue.

I am reminded that the links between the Christian community in Ireland and the Christian community in the Middle East go back to the early Celtic Church. They continue today in the heroic work of many Irish missionaries who work in solidarity with persecuted Christian communities in the Middle East even at risk to their own lives. This continuing link is perhaps most poignantly symbolised by the new mosaic in the apse of the recently restored chapel of the Irish College in Rome. There in the midst of our national patron saints, St. Patrick, St. Brigid, St. Columcille and others is the image of a young Iraqi priest. His name is Fr. Ragheed Ganni. He studied for several years in the Irish college. He worked in Lough Derg and in various parishes throughout the country during his postgraduate studies. He loved the Irish people and they loved him. He radiated joy, gentleness and a true Christian spirit of service to all who knew him and yet his heart was set on returning to bring comfort, strength and support to his suffering people in Iraq. The Church of the Holy Spirit in Mosul, in which he was ministering, was subject to regular bombings and attack. On the feast of the Holy Trinity in 2007, as he finished the celebration of mass, Fr. Ragheed and three subdeacons were brutally murdered. The vehicle in which they had been killed was surrounded by explosives by those who had killed them so that no-one dared approach to offer comfort, prayers or help. Just a week before, Fr. Ragheed had written:

In a sectarian and confessional Iraq, will there be any space for Christians? We have no support, no group who fights for our cause; we are abandoned in the midst of the disaster.

It is with this painful, prophetic cry of a young man who knew, loved and appreciated the Irish people so much that we thank members for giving us time to highlight the plight of persecuted Christians in our world today and appeal to them to consider positively the recommendations we have made.