Archbishop from Iraq asks West to step up efforts to oust Islamic State

Syriac Catholic Archbishop Yohanna Moshe of Mosul, Iraq, is pictured in a 2011 photo. (CNS photo/courtesy Aid to the Church in Need) Speaking with the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need on the first anniversary of the Islamic State’s takeover of Mosul, Archbishop Moshe said that forcing out Islamic State forces was the “best solution” for the 120,000 displaced Christians who fled the city June 10, 2014, and nearby towns and villages that were seized in early August.