Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Louis Sako has warned that a slowdown in the global economy, combined with the fallout from the war in Ukraine, has increased the pressure on Christians to emigrate from the Middle East.

The Iraqi prelate said that the resources of the Church in the region have been strained. “The charities that helped us are now focusing their efforts on Ukraine,” he said. “Donations and collections are very small, the offerings do not arrive, the rents of the buildings—already very low—are not paid regularly…”

The net result, the Chaldean Patriarch said, is that young Christian families are leaving the region where the Church began.