(Bratislava) – Four months after their arrival in Slovakia, dozens of persecuted Christian refugees from Iraq find their new home in the diocese of Nitra, experiencing a warm welcome from local people, inspired by the invitation of Bishop Viliam Judak to all faithful – to “give a warm welcome to their brothers and sisters in faith” and help them to integrate into the Slovak society. Michael, who had to flee from Iraq with his wife and two children, keeps learning Slovak and hopes to get a job soon: “Many priests say that I could teach them about Islam, as my knowledge of this religion is based on years of experience living amongst the Muslim community as a Christian. The first thing for me is to learn your language properly, and it is great to feel that many people here like us and help us”. 34 Iraqi Christian children started to attend schools in Nitra last week and their educational schedule will be slowly adjusted to that of Slovak pupils. “These children were divided into seven small groups to attend three public schools and four schools run by the Catholic Church in Nitra. Our priority is to teach them Slovak, so that they would be able to integrate fully into our educational system”, explains Miroslav Lyko, spokesman for the Nitra diocese.