Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda is the Archbishop of Erbil. He is renowned for his support for Christian refugees, and for promoting inter-religious dialogue and environmental protection in Iraq. As part of his efforts to support the continuing Christian presence in Iraq, the Archbishop founded a Catholic University in Erbil, inaugurated in 2015.
Ordained a priest in 1993, he joined the Redemptorist order of Flanders in Belgium two years later. After receiving his MA at the Catholic University of Louvain in 1999 he returned to Iraq. In 2009 the Synod of Bishops of the Chaldean Catholic Church elected him for service as a bishop, and Bishop Warda was consecrated in July 2010.
This event is part of the Under Caesar's Sword project, examining Christians' response to religious persecution around the globe Presented by the Notre Dame Center for Ethics and Culture. Cosponsors include the Keough School of Global Affairs, the McGrath Institute for Church Life, and the Center for Civil and Human Rights.