Two Ancient Iraqi Churches Reopen After Brutal ISIS Attacks
ISIS infamously destroyed many historic Christian sites in the Levant during their reign of terror in the region.
That included several churches in Iraq, some of which have stood for centuries or even more than a millennium.
Two of those churches were finally rebuilt a decade after they were destroyed.
Mar Toma, a Syriac Orthodox church which dates to the seventh century, and the Chaldean Catholic Church of Al-Tahira were both reopened on Oct. 15, according to a report from Vatican News.
“These churches are our roots, our history,” Patriarch Louis Raphaël Sako, the head of Iraq’s Chaldean Church, said in a statement to reporters.
“We need to keep them alive.”
Vatican News reported that ISIS had used Mar Toma, or the Church of St. Thomas, as a prison.
The Islamic group also heavily damaged the Door of the Twelve Apostles, which dates to the 13th century and was carved from marble.
Zenit, a Roman Catholic nonprofit organization, reported that both churches were destroyed during the ISIS incursion between 2014 and 2017.
“These churches are not just stones. They are the memory of faith, history, and community,” Archbishop Najeeb Michael Moussa, the Chaldean bishop of Mosul, said during the reopening ceremony.
Zenit added that teams had to remove mines and other explosives ISIS had left at the locations.
In addition to restoring the Door of the Twelve Apostles, craftsmen fixed the geometric vaults of Al Tahira.
Both churches are in Mosul, the major Iraqi city which ISIS had declared to be their capital.
Mosul is built on the ruins of ancient Nineveh, the city where the violent pagan population had repented after the preaching of Jonah, as recorded in the book of the Bible bearing the prophet’s name.
There are only 60 Christian families left in Mosul, which is a city of almost two million people.
The overall Christian population in Iraq is a mere 0.4 percent, according to the ministry Open Doors.
“Different Christian denominations, such as the Assyrian and Chaldean churches, are all seriously affected by discrimination and violence from militant groups and government authorities,” the organization said.
“In central and southern Iraq, many Christians avoid displaying religious symbols due to fear of harassment.”
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