The head of Iraq's Chaldean Catholic Church said on Tuesday that promised US aid for religious minorities in Iraq hasn't materialised, issuing an unusual public rebuke of the United States on the same day Washington announced a new infusion of assistance.
Cardinal Louis Raphael I Sako spoke at a Vatican briefing as Mark Green, USAID administrator, was at the Vatican for talks and announced a near doubling of funding — to about $300 million since last year — and on-the-ground results.
"There are promises, but the reality is that there's been nothing up to now," Mr Sako said, when asked about the US aid. "Today, we need to help and encourage Christians to remain in place, help them to find work, repair their homes, give them a hope. Emptying these places is a mortal sin, truly."
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He praised Hungary by contrast, saying it had provided $5 million in direct assistance to repair Christian homes, schools and churches in Iraq and Syria rather than take refugees in.
Mr Sako was asked, in a follow-up question, if he was referring to complaints about missing aid from US Catholic charities or the US government.
"I am speaking about the policy of America," he said. "Americans, they are very nice and very friendly as individuals, but the policy is wrong."
It wasn't immediately clear if he was referring to the US policy overall in the region, but he suggested that the US invasion of Iraq, which gave way to years of instability that facilitated the birth of ISIS was responsible for the exodus of Iraqi Christians from communities that have existed since the time of Jesus.
"We Christians of the Middle East, if we leave, we will have lost our identities, our tradition, our patrimony which is very, very rich," he said. "But America, up to now, hasn't done anything. But we hope."
Separately, USAID Mr Green was starting his visit to the Vatican, and the US State Department said a new infusion of $178 million had been allocated to help religious minorities in Iraq.
Mr Green has a previously scheduled meeting with Mr Sako on Wednesday. The USAID administrator expects to discuss the agency's work to help religious minorities in Iraq with the cardinal including ongoing projects with the Chaldean church and Mr Sako's diocese.
Mr Green said US funds were being channeled through 36 local, 11 faith-based and 27 international organisations to help preserve Iraqi culture, prevent future atrocities and help with economic recovery. Specifically, the US is working with the Catholic group Knights of Columbus to identify those in need.
In a statement, Mr Green said one concrete example of US funds at work was in the town of Bashiqa in Iraq's Nineveh Plains, where funds have helped repair homes and wells, financed medical units and increased security around schools to enable families to return.
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Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
'Gold'
Director:Anthony Hayes
Stars:Zaf Efron, Anthony Hayes
Rating:3/5
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Another way to earn air miles
In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.
An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.
“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.
The specs
Engine: 2-litre 4-cylinder and 3.6-litre 6-cylinder
Power: 220 and 280 horsepower
Torque: 350 and 360Nm
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Price: from Dh136,521 VAT and Dh166,464 VAT
On sale: now
Other IPL batting records
Most sixes: 292 – Chris Gayle
Most fours: 491 – Gautam Gambhir
Highest individual score: 175 not out – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)
Highest strike-rate: 177.29 – Andre Russell
Highest strike-rate in an innings: 422.22 – Chris Morris (for Delhi Daredevils against Rising Pune Supergiant in 2017)
Highest average: 52.16 – Vijay Shankar
Most centuries: 6 – Chris Gayle
Most fifties: 36 – Gautam Gambhir
Fastest hundred (balls faced): 30 – Chris Gayle (for Royal Challengers Bangalore against Pune Warriors in 2013)
Fastest fifty (balls faced): 14 – Lokesh Rahul (for Kings XI Punjab against Delhi Daredevils in 2018)