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As military plans are being laid for an offensive to liberate Mosul, Iraq’s second largest city, from Islamic State militants, this conference focused on the policies and strategies urgently needed to help the Middle East’s vulnerable religious minorities.

Leading the discussion was Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York, and Hudson Distinguished Scholar Walter Russell Mead. They were joined by experts from multiple pontifical humanitarian agencies, writers, and noted experts.

Nearly a year after the Islamic State swept through northern Iraq and enforced its convert-or-die ultimatum, tens of thousands of Iraqi Christians and members of other ancient religions remain in encampments in Kurdistan and neighboring countries. They subsist on international humanitarian aid and their children lack access to education. Many are losing hope of ever returning to their homes and, with few options to resettle within the region, many are seeking to leave.

Is there any hope that these Christians and other religious minorities can remain in the Middle East?