Erbil, Iraq, May 28, 2016 / 04:13 am
On Friday, the first of three rounds of displaced Iraqi children made their First Communion in a refugee camp in Erbil, providing a silver lining to an otherwise bleak situation.
Out of the 5,500 people living in Erbil's Aishty 2 camp for the displaced, the majority – more than 2,000 – are children. Of these, 470 will make their First Communion in the coming weeks.
The number of children receiving the sacrament is up from last year's class, which numbered about 400.
Since this year's number of recipients is so high, the children have been divided into three groups. The first, numbering around 175, made their First Communion on Friday, May 27.