Essay: The desperate plight of Yazidis and Christians in Iraqi Kurdistan did not end with the defeat of IS
ELLIS HEASLEY, of UK-based religious freedom advocacy CSW, says we cannot simply assume that the plight of Christians, Yazidis and others ended with the defeat of IS in the region in 2017…
UN: Iraq Christians were victims of Islamic State war crimes
United NationsAP Evidence collected in Iraq strengthens preliminary findings that Islamic State extremists committed crimes against humanity and war crimes against the Christian community after it seized about a third of the country in 2014, a UN investigative team said in a report circulated Thursday. The report to the UN Security Council said crimes included […]
France’s Macron visits Iraq’s Mosul – including church – destroyed by IS war
Mosul, IraqAP French President Emmanuel Macron on Sunday visited Iraq’s northern city of Mosul, which suffered widespread destruction during the war to defeat the Islamic State group in 2017. Macron began his visit to Mosul by touring the Our Lady of the Hour Church, a Catholic church that was badly damaged during the rule of […]
Updated: Where IS ruled, Pope calls on Christians to forgive, rebuild
Updated: 8am (AEDT), 8th March, 2021Qaraqosh, IraqAP Pope Francis urged Iraq’s Christians on Sunday to forgive the injustices against them by Muslim extremists and to rebuild as he visited the wrecked shells of churches and met ecstatic crowds in the community’s historic heartland, which was nearly erased by the Islamic State group’s horrific reign. “Fraternity […]
Vatican defends Pope’s Iraq trip amid virus as “act of love”
Vatican CityAP The Vatican defended Pope Francis’ decision to go ahead with his trip to Iraq this weekend despite rising coronavirus infections there, saying Tuesday all healthcare precautions have been taken and that the trip is an “act of love for this land, for its people and for its Christians.” Francis is due to visit […]
New mass grave unearthed in Iraq’s north from brutal IS rule
Mosul, IraqAP A human skull, a pair of worn trousers and a shoe were among the remains unearthed from a mass grave discovered this week in northern Iraq, a remnant of the brutal rule of the Islamic State group, Iraqi officials said Thursday. The new mass grave was discovered on Monday in the village of […]
Iraqi Christian family ordered to leave IDP camp but have nowhere to go
World Watch Monitor The last Christian family remaining in an IDP camp north of Erbil have turned to the local government and aid organisations as they have been asked to leave the camp but have nowhere to go, Kurdish news website Rudaw reports. Sena Behnam and her husband said they have to stay in the camp, […]
Reopening of Christian school in Iraq hailed as a “victory over extremism”
World Watch Monitor The reopening of the oldest Christian school in Mosul – a northern Iraqi city once controlled by IS – has been hailed as a “victory over terrorism and extremism”. The Shimon Safa Elementary School was closed for four years, but has welcomed 400 students – aged between six and 12 – for […]
More than 200 mass graves with thousands of bodies discovered in Iraq
World Watch Monitor More than 200 mass graves containing the remains of thousands of people killed by Islamic State have been discovered in northern and western Iraq, according to a UN report that was released on Tuesday. The report by UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and the UN Human Rights Office documents the existence […]
Iraqi archbishop tells USAID delegation to hurry up aid delivery
World Watch Monitor An Iraqi Catholic archbishop has said he and other bishops are “delighted” that the US aid arm is to make good on a pledge to send aid directly to non-Muslim communities recovering from the so-called Islamic State’s occupation of their towns and villages, but warned “time is running [out]”. Archbishop Bashar Warda […]