Catholic Church in Iraq

The Latest

A young refugee rests after having fled from ISIS and arrived in Ankawa in the northern part of Erbil, Iraq.

One Congressman's plea to the US: Don't abandon Iraq's Christians

Jan 6, 2017

By Matt Hadro

Christian survivors of the ISIS genocide have serious humanitarian needs, but their faith remains strong, one congressman said after his... Read more

Destroyed church.

What Christians are finding as they return to the Nineveh Plain

Jan 3, 2017

By Matt Hadro

As villages on Iraq’s Nineveh Plain are liberated from Islamic State forces, the Christians who lived there have returned, only... 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

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

Pope Francis at the general audience in St. Peter's Square April 13, 2016.

There is no justification for killing innocent people, Pope says

Nov 17, 2016

By Hannah Brockhaus

In a meeting with the Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East Thursday, Pope Francis criticized ongoing violence in... Read more

Pope Francis 1 at The Liturgy of the Lord's Passion at St. Peter's Basilica on April 3, 2015.

As battle for Mosul rages, Pope appeals for an end to violence in Iraq

Oct 23, 2016

By Elise Harris

With the Iraqi Army currently embroiled in an effort to liberate Mosul and the Plains of Nineveh from the Islamic... Read more

Archbishop Alberto Ortega Marti?n, Nuncio to Iraq.

Pope's Iraq envoy says peace stifled by lack of 'political will'

Oct 17, 2016

By Elise Harris

Archbishop Alberto Ortega, the Pope's Apostolic Nuncio in Iraq and Jordan, has said that in the midst of a drawn-out... Read more

Roni Salim Momika is ordained a priest in Erbil's Aishty camp for the displaced Aug. 5, 2016. Courtesy of Fr. Roni Momika.

New Iraqi priests bring joy amid years of sadness, displacement

Aug 8, 2016

By Elise Harris

Fr. Roni Salim Momika, one of three priests ordained in an Erbil refugee camp Friday, said the event has turned... Read more

World Youth Day in Brazil, July 28, 2013.

The powerful witness of Iraqi young people at World Youth Day

Jul 21, 2016

By Elise Harris

Among the swarms of pilgrims registered for World Youth Day in Poland next week is a large group of Iraqi... Read more

St. Peter's Basilica at the Vigil of Divine Mercy, April 2, 2016.

What the Holy See has to say about conflict in the Middle East

Jul 14, 2016

If peace is to be achieved in the Middle East, it will be a joint effort, requiring the cooperation of... Read more

A Muslim chaplain prays during the month of Ramadan.

As Ramadan begins, Chaldean patriarch prays for Iraqi Muslims

Jun 8, 2016

Iraqi Muslims celebrating Ramadan will have the prayers of Chaldean Catholics, Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako of Babylon has said.  Read more

Internally displaced Christians at a refugee center in Dawodiya, Iraq, April 10, 2016.

For Iraq's Christians, what comes after Islamic State?

May 31, 2016

By Matt Hadro

With thousands of displaced Christians in Iraq subsisting on humanitarian aid, advocates are asking if they have a future there... Read more

A Hanukkah menorah.

'I am a Kurd and a Jew': an interview with Iraq's Sherzad Mamsani

May 12, 2016

Terrorist attacks don’t phase Sherzad Omar Mamsani, even when an attack claimed one of his arms and left shrapnel throughout... Read more

Refugee children at the Sharia Al Haman Hope Refugee Camp in Duhok, Iraq on March 28, 2015.

French bishops travel to Iraq in support of Christian students

Apr 20, 2016

A delegation of bishops and priests from France are visiting Iraq April 17-21 to aid young Christian students living in... Read more

Cardinal Dolan to Iraqi seminarians: You will convert the world

Apr 9, 2016

By Elise Harris

After spending his first full day in Erbil, Iraq, Cardinal Timothy Dolan gave a special message to men studying in... Read more

Cardinal Timothy Dolan at the Ordination of Deacons at St. Peter's Basilica on Oct. 1, 2015.

Cardinal Dolan visiting Iraq to show support for displaced Christians

Apr 6, 2016

By Elise Harris

This week Cardinal Timothy Dolan, Archbishop of New York and chair of Catholic Near East Welfare Association, will travel to... Read more

Pope Francis embraces a pilgrim during the General Audience at the Vatican's Paul VI Hall, Jan. 13, 2016.

Pope Francis sends vestments, financial aid to Iraqi Christians

Mar 31, 2016

By Elise Harris

As a sign of affection and closeness, Pope Francis has decided to send vestments used in the liturgy and a... Read more

Pope Francis greets pilgrims in St. Peter's Square during the Wednesday general audience on May 28, 2014.

Pope prays for victims of terror strike at Iraq football stadium

Mar 27, 2016

Pope Francis has sent a his condolences following the suicide attack against a football stadium in Iskanderiyah, Iraq which killed... Read more

Watch this video and 'wake up' from indifference to persecuted Christians

Jan 21, 2016

A video that shares the testimonies of people who have personally suffered the persecution of Christians in the Middle East... Read more

Refugee at the Sharia Al Haman Hope Refugee Camp in Duhok, Iraq on March 28, 2015.

Your apathy is hurting ISIS victims – a challenge to US Christians

Dec 8, 2015

By Matt Hadro

Christians in the U.S. must stop their apathy to the bloody persecution of religious minorities in Iraq and Syria, said... Read more