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Vicar of Baghdad Says Christianity is 'Over' in Iraq

CBN

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Fourteen years after U.S. and coalition forces invaded Iraq and removed former president Saddam Hussein, a prominent priest is warning that Christianity is all but dead in the war-torn nation.

Canon Andrew White, known as the "Vicar of Baghdad", says the "time has come" where Christianity "is over" in Iraq.

CBN International Correspondents Gary Lane and George Thomas have made multiple trips to Iraq. Hear what they have to say about the future of Christianity in Iraq. Click above.

White says years of persecution by radical Muslims has taken a toll on the country's Christian community.

"It has become very difficult," White told Fox News."The future for the community is very limited."

Christians have lived in Iraq for centuries. Once known as the cradle of Christianity, today their history, along with their churches, manuscripts and antiquities, are being wiped out by ISIS and other Islamic terror groups.

White says many have fled areas controlled by ISIS and other Islamic extremists.

"The Christians coming out of Iraq and ISIS areas in the Middle East all say the same thing, there is no way they are ever going back. They have had enough."

White's comments come as Iraqi and coalition forces continue their push to drive ISIS out of Mosul, Iraq's second largest city.

"In west Mosul, the Iraqi combined joint task force continues to advance, they're gaining victories and advancing in a major way," said Brigadier Yehia Rasoul of the Iraqi army.

Thousands of terrified Iraqi families caught between heavy coalition air strikes and ISIS shelling are making the daring escape out of Mosul.

"We were in danger," said one resident of Mosul. "I am a very old woman, but thank God we have got here safely."

More than 100,000 Christians were forced to flee Mosul when ISIS invaded in 2014. White fears many will never return even if ISIS is driven out.

"The time has come where it is over, no Christians will be left. Some stay Christians should stay to maintain the historical presence."

Meanwhile, one Iraqi priest is warning that ISIS has already bred a new generation of radicals and says Christians thinking of returning to their homes will face new threats.

"We can go back but it is a question of safety," said Father Daniel of Erbil. "We are dealing with a new generation bred by ISIS - they have a radical anti-Christian viewpoint and so it would be really hard to go back."

Father Daniel, who works with Christian refugees in northern Iraq, says undoing the terror cult's destructive ideology will take time.

"It would be very hard for children here and children in Mosul to get together. Can they even get along together as two groups? Could they adapt to each other? We really need to work with the children in Mosul to change what ISIS has implanted there."

Cardinal White believes the world has to do more than just pray for Iraq's Christians.

"If there is anything I can tell Americans it is that your fellow brothers and sisters are suffering, they are desperate for help," White told Fox News. "And it is not just a matter of praying for peace. They need a lot - food, resources, clothes, everything. They need everything."

President Trump welcomed Iraq's prime minister to the White House this week. The two leaders said that even though ISIS is still a dangerous enemy, they vowed the group "will be defeated" and promised to "pursue a long-term partnership to decisively root out terrorism from Iraq."

White says he appreciated Trump's promise to help persecuted Christians, but says the president has to do more to engage the Muslim community so as to not alienate them further.

"Many have this feeling that America is against them, and they need to show that America is not against Islam, America is against terrorism," White said. "We have got to have good relations, and the U.S is in a unique and powerful position to be a force for good."

Still, he worries the threat of radical Islam will continue to flourish and make life for Iraq's Christians more difficult in the days and weeks ahead.

"It is important to find ways to engage with them, to look into their philosophies," White said. "I tried to invite some of the ISIS jihadists to dinner once," he added. "They told me they would come, but that they would chop my head off afterwards. I didn't think it would be a nice way to end a dinner party."

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