Father Sarmad Biloues and Syria

Syria: Several thousand Chaldean Catholics from Iraq have arrived in the Vancouver area in the past few years, according to Vancouver Courier. Their path here has been chaotic, buffeted by the tragedies of life first in their country of origin, then in Syria, where they originally took refuge. Events in the Middle East are driving a unique group of newcomers to our shores, fleeing years of repression, violence and fear. Father Sarmad Biloues is the spiritual leader of Chaldean Catholics in B.C., about 85 per cent of whom have arrived in the last decade. Like the refugees themselves, the priest fled Iraq, then pastored to those in refugee camps in Syria. A few arrived earlier, resettled by the UN in the 1990s, after the first Gulf War. (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.