The International Union for the Conservation of Nature has several categories to define the danger of extinction that various species face today. Using a percentage of population decline, the categories range from “vulnerable species” (a 30-50 per cent decline), to “critically endangered” (80-90 per cent) and finally to extinction.
In June Pope Francis announced his desire to visit Iraq sometime in 2020. The country has been home to a Christian community since apostolic times. Yet following the coalition invasion of Iraq in 2003, and the removal of Saddam Hussein, the Christian population of Iraq has shrunk by 83 per cent, putting it in the category of “critically endangered”.
