CWN - An Iraqi archbishop invited to visit New York and Washington by Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ) is unable to make his visit because of a recent executive order by President Donald Trump temporarily barring entry into the US by citizens of Iraq and six other nations.

Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil had been scheduled to discuss the persecution of Christians with Cardinal Timothy Dolan, the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA), and others, according to the New York archdiocesan newspaper.

Msgr. John Kozar, president of CNEWA, said:

I’m planning a visit to Iraq in March to continue to demonstrate the solidarity we have and to show them we haven’t abandoned them and assure them that they are not forgotten. But I don’t know—will I be permitted to enter that country? As we have stopped the flow from these listed nations, some of them are doing the same in kind.

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