Pope Francis returns a historic prayer manuscript to Immaculate Conception Church in Bakhdida, Iraq, March 7, 2021. Credit: Vatican Media.
Rome Newsroom, Mar 8, 2021 / 06:05 am (CNA).- During his trip to Iraq, Pope Francis returned a historic Aramaic prayer manuscript which was restored after the Islamic State desecrated the Catholic church where it was once held.
Dating back to sometime between the 14th and 15th century, the book contains liturgical prayers in Aramaic for the season of Easter in the Syriac tradition.
The manuscript was formerly kept in the Great Al-Tahira Immaculate Conception Church (pictured below), in Bakhdida, also known as Qaraqosh. The Syriac Catholic church was plundered and set alight when the Islamic State had control of the town from 2014 to 2016.