Patriarchs from the Eastern Catholic Churches have sent a message of hope to young people in Iraq, where emigration and religious extremism are shrinking Christian communities to the point where Christianity is seen as being under threat.

“In light of the difficulties and challenges you face in the midst of the current situation in the Middle East, and in light of the bleak migration that threatens your future and the Christian presence [in the region] as a whole, we stand by you,” the Conference of the Catholic Patriarchs of the East wrote in a statement capping their November 26-30 annual meeting in Baghdad.

The meeting ran under the theme, “Youth is a Sign of Hope in the Middle East Countries.”

“As we share the same present pain, we look forward to a bright future with your presence, and we assure you that we will work together to provide the foundations of your steadfastness and steadfastness in your land,” the patriarchs said, as reported by Catholic News Service.

The last official census in Iraq in 2003 put the Christian population there at between 1.2 million and 2.1 million but their numbers have since dwindled to about a quarter of a million, according to the American NGO OpenDoors.

Cardinal Louis Sako, Patriarch of Chaldean Catholics, drew attention to the danger posed by groups like Islamic State (IS), which routinely target Iraqi Christians and other religious minorities for kidnappings and killings.

At a liturgy held at the Chaldean Cathedral of St. Joseph on November 27, Syriac Catholic Patriarch Ignace Joseph III Younan exhorted young people to keep the candle of their faith burning during their darkest hours.

“We live in this terrible legacy that we have inherited in recent years. Today, many people want to leave because of the difficulties and pain created by terrorism and external interference,” he said.

The patriarchs also met Iraqi President Barham Salih and urged officials in the country to work together “to renew the country and its development.”

They called for greater respect for minorities in the region, affirmed their solidarity with Palestine as it wrestles with Israeli occupation, and asked decision makers in Syria to “work hard for the return” of displaced people and refugees as the country slowly heals.