It’s up to Pope Francis and President Trump to save Christianity in the Middle East

Whether Christians in Iraq and Syria survive in any meaningful way may be decided this week — when Pope Francis meets with President Trump.

A number of commentators have pointed to such a discussion as one that could prove fruitful and build on the common ground these two men share, but there is something else too: timing.

{mosads}Unless the U.S. government and the Church work together to come up with a meaningful, collaborative solution for these beleaguered communities, they could vanish within a few years. Reports increasingly indicate that the fragility of the community in Iraq is now such that it may well be reaching a tipping point — from which it will be unable to recover.

The meeting between the pope and the president, is, quite simply, the last best chance Christians have for survival, and an enormous opportunity for a lasting legacy for both leaders.

Neither the pope nor the president has any interest in being someone under whose tenure Christianity disappeared in these Middle Eastern countries. Both have been outspoken about the persecution, and have been clear that ISIS committed genocide by targeting people for their faith.

And they are the only two men on earth who can create a real solution.

The majority of Christians in Iraq are Catholic and most of those still in the country are under the care of the Catholic Church.

At the same time, the United States is a major source of humanitarian aid, military assistance and influence on the Iraqi government in Baghdad and the Kurdistan Regional government.

Should Francis and Trump find a way to work together on this, such cooperation would not be unprecedented.

Some will immediately see parallels to the work of President Reagan and Pope John Paul II in effectively working together to oppose Soviet Communism. Others may consider the way that the U.S. government worked with local church groups to save Middle Eastern Christianity during the genocide that accompanied the First World War — a century ago.

Whatever historical antecedent one chooses, the truth is that there is ample precedent, ample motive and ample need for cooperation on this issue.

To survive, Christians — and the other religious minorities targeted for genocide by ISIS — need three things:

• Short term humanitarian assistance (food, clothing, shelter, medical care, etc.)
• Reconstruction aid so they can move home.
• Security (including equal rights for religious minorities).

Second-class citizenship based on religion must end and security must include both equal rights and the right to equal citizenship for religious minorities, including Christians.

Only the United States government has the influence and leverage to ensure that these things happen. The president understands well that America needs to use its leverage to get the best possible deals in our relationships with foreign governments.

With the military and other financial aid we have given and continue to give Iraq, we are in a strong position to demand that Iraq live up to its obligations to all its citizens and to its obligations under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, to which Iraq is a signatory. That declaration includes a list of rights most Americans would take for granted, but that Iraqi Christians cannot currently expect.

The same is true of our leverage with the Kurdistan regional government. No one is in a better position than the United States to effectively lay out what is and is not acceptable.

But American government actions will only be successful if it works with the Church — the one entity actually dedicated to the survival of its people.

For years, these vulnerable communities too often received no direct aid from the United States or the United Nations. Even when U.S. government aid money has been allocated specifically to them, reports indicate that issues with the distribution system have often prevented them from receiving it. This cannot continue.

As we did in World War I, after the Holocaust and in Darfur, it is time for our government to assist minority communities in a way that actually helps them, and to do so through religious and community leaders — not those outside these small communities whose concern for their survival is often less substantial.

If Francis and Trump can come up with a basic plan to help Christians in the Middle East to survive, it will indeed be a history making — and legacy defining — moment for both of them. 

Carl Anderson is CEO of the Knights of Columbus and a New York Times bestselling author.

The views expressed by contributors are their own and are not the views of The Hill.