Kin of Iraq church attack victims recalls horror as Pope Francis prepares to visit
The storming of Baghdad’s Our Lady of Salvation Church in 2010 left 58 people dead
An Iraqi soldier stands guard by a concrete barrier placed around the Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad as part of the security measures for Pope Francis s visit to Iraq. AP Photo
The Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad s Karrada district was the scene of an extremist attack in October 2010 that left 52 people dead. EPA
A man walks past a mural depicting the visit of Pope Francis on the concrete walls surrounding the Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad. EPA
In less than two decades, Iraq’s Christian community
shrunk from more than 1.5 million to a few hundred thousand. War, bloodshed, persecution ands economic stagnation forced most of the community to seek a new future abroad.
On Friday, Pope Francis plans to shine a light on one of the most diverse and longstanding Christian communities in the world as he embarks on a historic pilgrimage across the country.
Iraq, a Muslim majority country of just more than 40 million, has 14 registered Christian sects from a range of churches, but Chaldeans and other Catholic denominations make up about half of the 400,000-strong community. Armenian Orthodox and Protestant make up a sizeable proportion
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Pope Francis will pray for humanity in Mosul city on Sunday as part of his historic religious pilgrimage across Iraq.
The pontiff will say prayers for victims of ISIS and war at Al Tahera Church in the northern city’s Church Square, which is surrounded by several places of worship used by Iraq’s different Christian denominations.
Syriac Catholic, Syriac Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and Chaldean Catholic churches can be found in and around the small square that is locked in by low-rise houses in Mosul’s Old City.
Al Tahera is a symbol of the diversity that has been the story of Mosul for centuries and represents Iraq’s once-flourishing Christian community.