Iraq’s young people must lead its rebuilding, says archbishop
World Watch Monitor The rebuilding of Iraq should be guided by its young people, says an archbishop who took in 700 students from Mosul University after the occupation of the city by Islamic State in June, 2014. Bishop Yousif Thoma Mirkis of Kirkuk, 170 kilometres south-east of Mosul, recently visited the university and reunited with […]
Mass grave of Christians found in Iraq
World Watch Monitor A mass grave holding the remains of 40 Christians has been found in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, reports Iraqi News. Iraq’s second city was held by the so-called Islamic State group for three years until its liberation by government forces in 2017. After capturing the city in 2014, IS warned Christians […]
Thousands of Iraqis too scared to go home because of IS stigma
Thomson Reuters Foundation Hundreds of Iraqi families forced to flee last year’s fighting in Mosul are being prevented from returning home by their communities because they had a relative who joined the so-called Islamic State, an aid worker said on Tuesday. Communities are also barring some families from accessing aid for the same reason, said […]
POSTCARDS: MOSUL CHRISTMAS MASS HAILED A “VICTORY OVER IS” AS SUNNI YOUTH INSTALL GIANT CHRISTMAS TREE
World Watch Monitor reports on how Iraqi Christians celebrated Christmas in Mosul following its liberation from the so-called Islamic State…
Sweden opens church for 5,000 Christians who fled Middle East
World Watch Monitor A new church opened last week in the Swedish town of Södertalje, 30 kilometres south of Stockholm, for the estimated 5,000 to 6,000 Chaldean Catholics who have resettled there after fleeing their homes in the Middle East. Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne, Germany, who participated in the inaugural service, explained to German […]
World Council of Churches calls for commitment to restoring social and religious diversity of Mosul
The World Council of Churches has called for a commitment to restoring the social and religious diversity of the Iraqi city of Mosul following news this week of its liberation from the forces of the so-called Islamic State. In a statement, Rev Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, general secretary of the WCC, said while every “right-minded […]
IRAQ: CHRISTIANS RETURNING HOME FACE MANY HURDLES
World Watch Monitor reports on the difficulties facing Christians as they return to homes in ares previously occupied by the so-called Islamic State…
Abducted Iraqi Christian girl reunited with her parents after three years
World Watch Monitor After almost three years in captivity, an Iraqi Christian girl abducted by the Islamic State in August 2014 has finally been reunited with her parents. Christina Abada, who is about to celebrate her sixth birthday, was welcomed home at around 10am Friday morning, local time. Locals say she was released by the […]
Muslims clean up Mosul monastery desecrated by IS
World Watch Monitor A church in an Iraqi district once terrorised by the so-called Islamic State group has been restored with the help of local Muslims. Residents were horrified after reports claimed Christians were facing abuse even after IS had been chased out of their part of the city. Volunteers said they wanted to help […]
Some 10,000 people a day fleeing western Mosul in Iraq as fighting continues
Some 10,000 people are fleeing west Mosul in Iraq every day as a military offensive to retake the city from the so-called Islamic State continues. The UN said on Friday that Iraqi Government figures showed the number of those fleeing peaked at a daily high of 16,100 on 18th May at the Hamam al-Alil screening site […]