It is good that the Archbishop of Erbil was able to say this at Franciscan University, but it is unlikely he will get much of a hearing in other Catholic circles. Pope Francis has essentially dogmatized the falsehood that Islam is a Religion of Peace. This false claim has become a superdogma in the Catholic Church to the extent that a Catholic can dissent openly and freely from every element of the Nicene Creed and any other dogma of the Catholic Church, and remain a Catholic in good standing. But if a Catholic dares to suggest that Islam is not a Religion of Peace, he will be subjected to organized campaigns from the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to make sure he has no platform in Catholic circles and, if possible, anywhere else.

“Iraqi archbishop asks university community for support,” by Elisha Valladares-Cormier, Troubadour Online, February 25, 2018:

The Chaldean archbishop of Erbil, Iraq, asked the Franciscan University community for its help in building the future of the Catholic Church in Iraq during a speech Monday night at 7:30 p.m.

University students, faculty and administration filled both levels of the Gentile Gallery as the Most Rev. Bashar Matti Warda gave those assembled a call to action: help the persecuted Christians of the Middle East….

More than 125,000 Christians have been persecuted since the Islamic State began its rampage, said Warda, but despite being “scarred, battled and wounded,” the Christians are still strong in their faith.

“When a people has nothing left to lose, in some sense it is very liberating,” he said, adding later that “our faith grew stronger. … We found who we are really – we are Christians.”

Warda said that before the Islamic State persecutions began, Christians and Muslims have historically maintained a healthy “dialogue of life,” but Christians were often afraid to speak honestly about the problems with Muslims. Warda said that this is no longer the case.

“There is a crisis of violence in Islam, and for the sake of humanity, including the followers of Islam themselves, it must be addressed openly and honestly,” he said. “If there is to be any future for the Christians and religious minorities of Iraq and the Middle East, there must be a change and correction within Islam.”

Part of this honest dialogue comes from Christians living their lives as a witness to the “truth of forgiveness.” Warda called it a “vital missionary role” to provide a living example to the Muslims of a path to a world of forgiveness and peace.

So few Christians remain in Iraq – the numbers may seem small and insignificant – but the Christians are encouraged by the fact that the number of apostles was even smaller than that.

“Our faith is persecuted, but our churches are full,” the archbishop said….