'A sliver of hope': '60 Minutes' story to feature local monk who preserves historical texts

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The Rev. Columba Stewart studies a manuscript for a story on"60 Minutes." Stewart, a Benedictine monk from St. John's Abbey, preserves historical manuscripts by digitizing them.

Central Minnesota knows well the assets Benedictine nuns and monks bring to humanity. Now the rest of the world will know too. 

A local Benedictine monk will appear on "60 Minutes" this weekend to talk about his work saving historical and religious documents from ISIS in Iraq. 

The Rev. Columba Stewart is a monk at St. John's Abbey and is executive director of the Hill Museum & Manuscript Library in Collegeville. The museum has been preserving historical and religious documents since it was established in 1965.

Producers at "60 Minutes" heard about his work and decided to follow Stewart to Iraq, when he traveled there this spring.

Co-producers Richard Bonin and Ayesha Siddiqi spoke with Stewart a number of times before they met in person. 

"One of the issues that animates him, drives him, is finding ways for different cultures and religions to get along today," Bonin said. "That seemed like a very timely message given everything that's going on." 

Stewart and his Iraqi counterpart, Dominican friar Rev. Najeeb Michaeel, partnered to digitize thousands of manuscripts that document the region's culture and history. 

Documents like this are vulnerable, especially when war, natural disasters and neglect compromise a region's stability. 

Throughout its history, the museum has partnered with 580 libraries and archives worldwide. It is currently working to digitize manuscripts at 16 sites in 11 countries.

The documents are scanned and added to a digital database, which is available online. The museum also fosters research and scholarship into the cultures that produced the documents. 

CBS journalist Lesley Stahl walks with the Rev. Columba Stewart in Mosul, Iraq for a story for "60 Minutes."

Bonin said the story was another way to look at the ongoing situation in Iraq without talking about ISIS or the war directly.

"It's an unusual way into the war," Bonin said. "We're not going there to report on the war straight up. We're talking about it, but we're coming into the side window." 

In particular, he was interested in Stewart's visit to Mosul. 

"Knowing what that city had gone through, I thought it would be really, really interesting," he said. "

Bonin has spent time in Iraq while Saddam Hussein was in power, during the war and after. 

"I know how tough it was living under the boot of Saddam," he said. "It just broke my heart that we would go in there and liberate it and manage to do the unthinkable and manage to make it worse."

A historical manuscript from the 17th or 18th centuries is show. It was found in Mosul, Iraq and digitized by a team led by the Rev. Columba Steward, a Benedictine monk at St. John's Abbey.

He's seen the tragedy and destruction that has come with instability. 

"What happened in Mosul is one example," he said. "ISIS coming after al-Qaida, destroying this once beautiful city." 

But then there are people like Stewart and Michaeel. 

"They're this sliver of hope," Bonin said. "Amidst all of that war and violence, there are these men of the cloth who are motivated by the well-being of people."

Their motivations were clear. 

"They're not interested in power or personal enrichment," Bonin said. "They care about the souls of these people and that was manifestly evident to me." 

When CBS traveled to Iraq this past spring, only part of Mosul was free of ISIS control. The battle for control of the other parts was at its peak. 

So while the area they were in was technically safe, they were still pretty close to war. 

"It was very dangerous and very expensive," Bonin said. ISIS rockets would land in their area, one about 100 yards from them.

Bonin said they refer to this in the "60 Minutes" piece: a man had to exchange his monk's robes for a flak jacket. 

The team was all wearing them, as well as helmets. A group of former special forces operatives were hired by CBS to protect them. They traveled in bullet-proof and bomb-proof cars. 

"We were very close to what was then the new battlefield," he said. 

The Rev. Columba Stewart, Iraqi Dominican friar the Rev. Najeeb Michaeel (white robes) and CBS journalist Lesley Stahl are shown looking at a manuscript for a story on "60 Minutes."

How did this affect Stewart? 

"He was probably the calmest of all of us," Bonin said. 

Since the crew was there, the rest of the city was freed from ISIS rule. 

Next to Columba, Michaeel was another interesting personality. He had narrowly escaped death a few times in Iraq. He risked his life to smuggle thousands of ancient religious texts out of harm's way. 

"Those religious texts to him are like his children," Bonin said. "He cares for them like a mother or father cares for a young child. He learns from them as a mother or father learns from their child." 

And despite all the suffering he's seen, he remains in Iraq, serving people. 

"Amidst all of what Iraqis have gone through, he remains a happy man, an optimistic man," Bonin said. "If there is truly the grace of God, he is touched by it." 

Michaeel and Stewart work well together. 

"They love each other and trust each other with their lives," Bonin said. "It is truly amazing, a happy story amidst all of that war and hatred. That's what ISIS is about ... hatred."

(Front) Co-producers Ayesha Siddiqi and Richard Bonin are shown in Mosul, Iraq, filming a story for "60 Minutes." Two religious men are digitizing historical and religious texts to prevent them from being destroyed.

ISIS attempts to wipe out anything that isn't their version of Islam, Bonin said, including Christianity and other views on Islam. 

"These guys are just the opposite. They're about tolerance," he said. 

Why do they put themselves in danger for these texts? The project contributes to the Benedictine value of education and scholarship. 

"Since the time of the dark ages ... this has been something that has been important to them," he said. 

Michaeel and Stewart also value the lessons the texts can teach about Muslims and Christians living together in peace and thriving, Bonin said.

"In order to do that, you have to understand the whole picture," Bonin said. 

That includes the cultures of today. 

"Spiritually, Christianity in Iraq is shrinking before our eyes because of forces like ISIS," Bonin said. "Preserving their history is a way of preserving their Christian identity and legacy."

Watch it

The story about the Rev. Columa Stewart is expected to air at 6 p.m., central time on Sunday on CBS. The broadcast is sometimes delayed by NFL football.  

Find out more information and watch a preview of the story at cbsnews.com/news/saving-history-from-isis-destruction.

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