Fade Sarkis, a Christian who fled Iraq after receiving death threats, says he has finally found a sense of safety in Roman Catholic youth festivities in Madrid.
‘I am very, very happy here. I have never seen so many Christians in one place,’ he said as lounged on the grass of Madrid’s central Retiro park surrounded by dozens of other pilgrims. ‘It helps me feel more Christian, everyone here is Christian, I feel relaxed, I feel good,’ added the 23-year-old who moved to Paris from Mosul as a refugee two years ago after receiving several letters from Islamists warning that he would be shot because of his religious beliefs.
He is one of about 200 Iraqis who have come to Madrid for the six-day World Youth Day festival, which wraps up on Sunday with a mass celebrated by Pope Benedict XVI and is expected to draw around one million faithful.
Christians are a small and vulnerable minority in many Arab countries, except for in Lebanon where they make up about one-third of the population and wield political power. And those from nations like Iraq where Christians routinely suffer attacks, or countries like Syria where there is a growing risk of violence against them, say taking part in the gathering helps ease feelings of isolation.
Photo: AFP