Iraq: Ecumenical festival points to future for persecuted Church
“What once was meant to be silenced has become a proclamation – Faith has survived, and hope is stronger than death.”
Christians who survived jihadist attacks in northern Iraq have come together to celebrate a major festival which will proclaim that Faith is still alive in the region.
From 9-13 September 2025, Christians from across the region’s different traditions – Assyrian Church of the East, Chaldean, Syriac Catholic and Syriac Orthodox – are joining together for an extended celebration of the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda, who has been working with leaders from other Churches to plan the events, told Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) – which helped support the celebrations – that this was a sign that the Faith was still alive. He said: “The timing of the festival is deeply symbolic. A decade ago, Daesh sought to erase Christianity from this land. Today, the very same communities will raise the Cross high in public squares, in churches, and in joyful processions. What once was meant to be silenced has become a proclamation – Faith has survived, and hope is stronger than death.”
Islamist extremist group Daesh (ISIS) controlled parts of the Nineveh Plains in northern Iraq from 2014 until 2017. More than 120,000 Christians sought refuge in Erbil in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region after fleeing their homes in August 2014. ACN supported Christian refugees who fled in 2014, and following the defeat of Daesh helped rebuild Christian towns and villages, to allow communities to return to their homes.
Events are set to begin later today (9 September) with a 1¼ mile (2km) candlelight procession in the Erbil suburb of Ankawa from the Chaldean Shrine of St Elijah to the Assyrian Cathedral of St John the Baptist, where a meal will follow prayers and a homily by the Assyrian Church of the East’s Patriarch Mar Awa III. A packed programme will include prayers, music, cultural events, sporting activities and competitions in the lead up to the vigil of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross on 13 September.
The five-day festival is now set to be an annual event in the Churches’ calendar, following ecumenical celebrations in 2024. The 2025 festival builds upon last year’s activities “aiming not only to repeat its success, but also to expand its scope, deepen its content, and involve more youth and families from across the different Churches.”
Archbishop Warda paid tribute to the Joint Youth Committee, composed of 20 volunteers from all four Churches, who have played a lead role. He said: “Young people from all Churches planned the festival together – organising prayers, sports, marathons, concerts, children’s games, and cultural events. Their collaboration became a visible sign of a new future. Older generations watched with admiration as the youth discovered that what unites them – their faith in Christ – is far greater than what divides them. In their hands, the dream of Christian unity in Iraq is already becoming a lived reality.”
The festival is seen as vital to the future of Christianity in the country. According to Saddam Hussein’s last census there were 1.4 million believers, but numbers have fallen to well below a quarter of a million.
Archbishop Bashar Warda said: “The Festival of the Cross 2025 is more than a local celebration. It is a message to the global Church. From the land of Abraham, where Christians suffered exile and persecution, comes a word of hope – we are still here. We are one in Christ. The Cross has not been silenced, and in Iraq, a small and wounded Church has shown the world the power of unity, the courage of faith, and the joy of resurrection life.”
Although everybody can participate freely by praying on the designated day, groups are requested to register on the official website so that ACN can have an idea of how many children are officially taking part in the event. The website has several useful resources that can be downloaded for use, in different languages.
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