Mosul

The Latest

An unknown security guard stands at the entrance of a church destroyed during the fighting with ISIS in Mosul, Iraq.

10 years after Mosul’s destruction, will Christians come back?

Jun 14, 2024

By Georgena Habbaba

Mosul’s exiled Christians grapple today with rebuilding their lives while demanding accountability and a future built on equity and justice. Read more

Chaldean Patriarch Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako presides over the dedication ceremony of the altar of the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Mosul, Iraq. April 5, 2024.

As new altar is consecrated at destroyed Iraq church, former parishioner recalls ‘wonderful days’

Apr 18, 2024

By Zoe Romanowsky

Georgena Habbaba says her eyes filled with tears to see her childhood parish and school in Mosul, Iraq, reconstructed and... Read more

CNA

Kidnapped by ISIS, priest in Iraq recounts story of facing fear with faith

Apr 14, 2024

By Georgena Habbaba

A Syriac Catholic priest in Mosul opens up about his nine-day kidnapping ordeal. Read more

Hungarian President Katalin Novák (center) visited Iraq in early December 2022, stopping at a majority-Christian town that has been rebuilt in recent years almost entirely with Hungarian support, following years of occupation and devastation by the so-called Islamic State.

Hungary stands out for its aid to beleaguered Christians in Iraq. Here’s why

Dec 14, 2022

By Jonah McKeown

Hungarian President Katalin Novák visited Iraq last week, stopping at a majority-Christian town that has been rebuilt in recent years... Read more

French President Emmanuel Macron tours Our Lady of the Hour Church in Mosul, Iraq, Aug. 29, 2021.

French president visits Catholic church in Iraq damaged by ISIS

Aug 31, 2021

By Courtney Mares

Emmanuel Macron toured Our Lady of the Hour Church in Mosul. Read more

Pope Francis prays for the victims of war in Mosul, Iraq, March 7, 2021. Photo credits: Vatican Media.

Full text: Pope Francis’ prayer of suffrage for the victims of war in Mosul

Mar 7, 2021

Here is the full text of Pope Francis’ prayer of suffrage for the victims of the war, delivered March 7, 2021,... Read more

Pope Francis releases a dove after praying for the victims of war in Mosul, Iraq, March 7, 2021. Photo credits: Vatican Media.

Pope Francis prays for victims of war in ruins of Mosul

Mar 7, 2021

Pope Francis prayed on Sunday for the victims of war in the rubble-strewn city of Mosul, where the Islamic State... Read more

A Syriac manuscript from the Monastery of St. Catherine, Mt. Sinai.

This priest preserves Iraqi culture found in historic manuscripts

Aug 9, 2017

By Hannah Brockhaus

As Iraq and surrounding areas face the destruction of many of the region’s archaeological treasures, one priest and his fellow... Read more

Father Ragheed Aziz Ganni, who was killed for the faith June 3, 2007 in Mosul, is seen with a group of young adults. Photo courtesy of Aid to the Church in Need.

This priest and three companions were killed for the faith in Iraq

Jun 9, 2017

By Hannah Brockhaus

When Fr. Ragheed Aziz Ganni was confronted by armed men after celebrating the Eucharist at his Chaldean Catholic parish in... Read more

Muslims and Christians unite to rebuild Mosul monastery

Jun 5, 2017

As government forces pry apart the Islamic State's three yearlong grip on Mosul, Muslims and Christians have united to rebuild... Read more

ISIS may be gone, but Mosul still faces a long winter ahead

Dec 14, 2016

Christians, Muslims and other victims of ISIS feel relief over the terrorist group being pushed back from the Nineveh Plain... Read more

Bishop William Murphy of Rockville Centre visits a refugee camp in Dawodiya, Iraq, April 10, 2016.

Humanitarian needs going unmet in Iraq, Catholic leaders tell Congress

Nov 30, 2016

Given new and expanded humanitarian crises in Iraq and elsewhere, Congress should respond generously to a request to approve additional... Read more

Pershmerga fighters inspect Al Tamera Syriac Catholic parish in Qaraqosh, Iraq, after the city's recent liberation from Islamic State. Photo courtesy of Fr. Roni Momika.

Christianity returns to the towns of Iraq's Nineveh Plain

Nov 22, 2016

Two years after the sound of church bells was replaced by the sound of explosives in Bashiqa, Iraq, just north... Read more

Archbishop Bashar Warda of the Chaldean Archeparchy of Erbil.

Iraqi archbishop remains hopeful: 'there will always be Christians' here

Oct 27, 2016

Iraqi Christians stranded in Kurdistan have some reason for hope, now that the battle for Mosul and the Nineveh Plane... Read more

Syrian children at refugee camp.

Carl Anderson: In battle for Mosul, don't forget persecuted groups

Oct 24, 2016

The battle to free Mosul from the hands of ISIS must be accompanied by concrete efforts to support the groups... Read more

A woman at Sharia Al Haman Hope Refugee Campe in Duhok, Iraq, March 28, 2015.

After genocide, what's next for Iraq's Christians?

Sep 8, 2016

By Matt Hadro

After the United States has declared that genocide is taking place against Christians and other religious minorities in Iraq, what... Read more

St. Elijah's Monastery near Mosul, as it appeared in February 2005.

Satellite images confirm: Iraq's oldest monastery destroyed by Islamic State

Jan 22, 2016

St. Elijah's Monastery in Mosul dated back to the sixth century, making it the oldest Christian monastery in Iraq. Muslims... Read more

Christian refugees in Mar Elia parish centre in the Ankawa, Erbil, Iraq.

Iraqi Christians who fled Islamic State share their story

Sep 23, 2015

The plight of Christians in the Middle East was the focus of an educational and fundraising event in Denver on... Read more

Refugees who have fled from ISIS and arrived in Ankawa, in the northern part of Erbil, Iraq.

Mosul archbishop's plea to the West: Save us from ISIS

Jun 13, 2015

A leading Iraqi prelate has called on world governments to increase their efforts to defeat ISIS and restore land and... Read more

A young refugee rests after having fled from ISIS.

A year after ISIS invasion, religious minorities in Mosul could disappear

Jun 9, 2015

By Adelaide Mena

One year after ISIS invaded Mosul, the Iraqi city’s diverse religious heritage is on the verge of extinction, warned a... Read more