Archbishop renews call to pray for peace in Iraq

As Christians in Iraq face new and escalating violence and still more grave threats of violence, Detroit Archbishop Allen Vigneron today issued anew his call for Catholics in metro Detroit to pray for peace. The archbishop made the following statement on June 12, 2014:

“The Catholic community in the Archdiocese of Detroit offers its ardent prayers for all those suffering the effects of violence in Iraq, including those Christians being persecuted for their faith. With a unified voice we pray that the power of good may overcome the threat of evil. May Saint Mary, the Mother of God, intercede for our brothers and sisters in Iraq, and offer a model of peace for all people.”

Archbishop Vigneron, who in 2010 was part of the Vatican’s Synod of Bishops for the Middle East, has forged close ties with the Chaldean community in the Archdiocese of Detroit. In the fall of 2013, the Archbishop hosted a prayer service at the Cathedral of the Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit for the intention of Christians in the Middle East. This summer, he concelebrated the episcopal ordination of Bishop Francis Kalabat, the head of the Southfield-based Chaldean Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle.