Christians in Iraq

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Children of families that sought refuge in Erbil, the capital of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, April 11, 2015. Credit: Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk.

Christians and Muslims alike welcome Pope Francis' trip to Iraq

Mar 3, 2021

By Courtney Mares

Iraqi Christians and Muslims alike have expressed excitment for Pope Francis’ upcoming trip to Iraq, an aid worker based in... Read more

Archbishop Bashar Warda, the Chaldean Archbishop of Erbil at the Chaldean cathedral in Erbil, Iraq, April 12, 2015. Credit: Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk.

Archbishop Warda: With papal visit, world will see ‘joyful people’ of Iraq

Mar 2, 2021

By Hannah Brockhaus

The Chaldean Catholic archbishop of Erbil said he hopes with Pope Francis’ visit to Iraq, the world will see a... Read more

The official logo of Pope Francis' visit to Iraq. Credit: Saint-Adday.

Where is Pope Francis going in Iraq and why? A CNA Explainer

Feb 25, 2021

By Courtney Mares

In a week’s time Pope Francis is expected to make history by becoming the first pope to travel to Iraq.... Read more

An Iraqi Catholic wears a facemark at a Mass in Baghdad on Dec. 24, 2020. Credit: Ahmad al-Rubaye/Getty Images/CNA.

Iraqi government imposes COVID restrictions weeks before papal visit

Feb 15, 2021

By Courtney Mares

The Iraqi government has announced new COVID-19 restrictions, including the closure of all places of worship, less than three weeks... Read more

Pope Francis pictured at the general audience at the Vatican April 17, 2013. Credit: Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk.

Pope Francis to meet top Shiite cleric on Iraq visit, says cardinal

Jan 28, 2021

By Courtney Mares

Pope Francis will meet with Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani during his trip to Iraq, a cardinal said on Thursday  Read more

Mass at the Chaldean Cathedral in Erbil, Iraq, on April 12, 2015. Credit: Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk.

Iraqi Catholics urged to pray at Sunday Masses that Pope Francis will be able to visit country

Jan 14, 2021

A cardinal has called on Iraqi Catholics to pray at Sunday Masses that Pope Francis will be able to visit... Read more

Archbishop Bashar Warda, pictured on Feb. 11, 2015. Credit: Mazur/catholicchurch.org.uk.

Catholic archbishop: papal visit could ‘change trajectory’ of Christian presence in Iraq

Dec 18, 2020

By Courtney Mares

Iraqi Archbishop Bashar Warda has said that Pope Francis’ upcoming visit to the country could be a turning point for... Read more

First Communion at at St. George Chaldean Catholic Church in Telskuf, Iraq. Courtesy of Fr. Karam Shamasha.

Iraqi Christians ‘living with hope’ as stability slowly returns to Nineveh Plains

Nov 24, 2020

By Hannah Brockhaus

Iraqi Christians are trying to face challenges with strength and hope as they continue to rebuild their lives after the... Read more

The Church of Mar Behnam and Mart Sarah in Qaraqosh, Iraq celebrates Christmas Mass Dec. 25, 2018 before the church's renovation.

‘Life after ISIS’: Christians are leaving Iraq due to ongoing security concerns

Jul 7, 2020

By Courtney Mares

More Christian families left the Nineveh Plains than returned to their hometowns last year amid ongoing security concerns in the... Read more

Syrian Catholic Archbishop Youhanna Boutros Moshe of Mosul blesses a newly-erected cross in Bakhdida, Iraq, May 2, 2017. Photo courtesy SOS Chrétiens d'Orient.

Aid workers kidnapped in Iraq released

Mar 27, 2020

Four men working in Iraq for the French humanitarian organization SOS Chrétiens d'Orient who went missing in Baghdad in January... Read more

Refugee children at a refugee camp in Duhok, Iraq, March 28, 2015.

Nonprofit seeks to provide computers to Iraqi Christian schools

Mar 12, 2020

By Perry West

While Christian schools in Iraq continue to suffer, a non-profit that promotes positive engagement in the Middle East is aiming... Read more

Pope Francis meets Iraqi President Barham Salih Jan. 25, 2020.

Pope Francis and Iraqi president discuss securing a future for Christians

Jan 25, 2020

By Courtney Mares

Pope Francis met Saturday with Iraqi President Barham Salih, and discussed the need to secure the future of Iraq’s deep-rooted... Read more

A picture taken Jan. 8, 2020 in Bardarash in the Dohuk governorate shows shrapnel from a reportedly Iranian missile initially fired at Iraqi bases housing US troops.

Archbishop Warda: US-Iran tensions threaten Iraq's Christian communities

Jan 8, 2020

By Courtney Mares

After Iran attacked an air base in Erbil early Wednesday, the Chaldean Archbishop of Erbil said the current tensions between... Read more

Fr. Georges Jahola in Al-Tahira church in Bakhdida in November 2016, shortly after the town's liberation. Photo courtesy of Fr. Jahola.

Cathedral in Iraq's largest Christian town to be rebuilt in 2020

Dec 19, 2019

By Courtney Mares

The Great Al-Tahira Immaculate Conception Cathedral in Bakhdida remains charred black inside, five years after the Islamic State plundered and... Read more

The Church of Mar Behnam and Mart Sarah in Qaraqosh, Iraq celebrates Christmas Mass Dec. 25, 2018 before the church's renovation.

Iraqi church formerly defaced by ISIS rededicated on Assumption feast

Aug 16, 2019

By Courtney Mares

An Iraqi church damaged and defaced by the Islamic State in 2014 was rededicated Thursday for the parish’s celebration of... Read more

Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, March 28, 2015.

Iraqi archbishop reflects on Christian community five years after ISIS takeover

Aug 6, 2019

Five years on from the conquering of Christian communities in Iraq by the so-called Islamic State, Christians in the country... Read more

Chaldean Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako.

Iraqi patriarch to Pope Francis: Chaldean Church is 'a church of martyrs'

Aug 6, 2019

By Hannah Brockhaus

The Chaldean Catholic Church is a Church of martyrs, Patriarch Louis Raphael Sako of Babylon told Pope Francis this week.  Read more

A man rides a motorcycle in the old city of Mosul, northern Iraq on April 21, 2019.

In Northern Iraq, Christians face obstacles on the road to rebuilding

Jul 24, 2019

By Matt Hadro

As some Christian genocide victims rebuild their homes in Northern Iraq, a tenuous security situation still threatens their future in... Read more

Armenian church behind barbed wire, Baghdad, Iraq. Via Shutterstock.

Iraqi Christians face uncertain future, U.S. Ambassador for Religious Freedom says

Jun 27, 2019

By Matt Hadro

The security of Christians in Northern Iraq remains “tenuous” and will require close attention in the future, the State Department’s... Read more

Abandoned ancient church in Iraqi desert located near Kirkuk city, Iraq.

Pope and Assyrian Patriarch: Blood of Middle East martyrs is ‘seed of Christian unity’

Nov 9, 2018

By Courtney Mares

Pope Francis and the Assyrian Patriarch Mar Gewargis III have pledged ecumenical unity in support of persecuted Christians in the... Read more