A CATHOLIC priest’s petiton to rally support for the plight of Christians in Iraq has attracted almost 1,000 signatures from across the world.

Father Frankie Mulgrew, who is the assistant parish priest at St Michael and St John’s Roman Catholic Church, in Clitheroe, is aiming to raise awareness of those who are suffering at the hands of terrorists in the war-torn country.

Father Mulgrew, who is the son of famous Irish comedian Jimmy Cricket, has called on Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond to grant safe asylum to Iraqi Christians.

The Islamic State (IS), formerly the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS), is a jihadist group in the Middle East claiming religious authority over Muslims worldwide.

It has warned Christians to leave areas under its control or pay a tax or be murdered, according to reports.

Those who fled are in refugee camps or hiding in the desert with few or no belongings. Some of those who didn’t flee have been massacred, with graphic pictures and videos being posted online.

The petition, which has attracted support from across the UK as well as Ureterp in the Netherlands, Magog in Canada, Stuttgart in Germany, and Athens in Greece, can be viewed and signed by visiting this link: www.tinyurl.com/qgpchax