2000 Christians Celebrate Mass in One Baghdad Church
Tuesday, December 25, 2007 at 05:21PM 2000 Iraqi Chaldean Catholics celebrated Christmas Mass in an eastern Baghdad Church! That's incredible, particularly considering that there are at least 2 other Orthodox Churches in Baghdad. Sunni and Shiite Muslim clerics set the example of unity with their Christian brothers by attending the Mass as well. One Catholic parishoner said, "This Christmas was clearly different":
Iraq has been living through some of the most peaceful moments since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003.
Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, leader of the ancient Chaldean Catholic Church and Iraq's first cardinal, celebrated Mass before about 2,000 people in the Mar Eliya Church the eastern New Baghdad neighborhood of the capital.
Muslim clerics — both Sunni and Shiite — also attended the service in a sign of unity.
"May Iraq be safe every year, and may our Christian brothers be safe every year," Shiite cleric Hadi al-Jazail told AP Television News outside the church. "We came to celebrate with them and to reassure them."
William Jalal, a 39-year old father of three attending Mass at Mar Eliya, said this Christmas was clearly different.
"We didn't celebrate like this in the past two years as we were holding limited celebrations for relatives in an atmosphere filled with fear," said Jalal, a cook in one of Baghdad's social clubs. "Now we feel better as we see all these security forces in the streets to protect us."
Hallelujah!
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Reader Comments (5)
Merry Christmas to you and yours Amy! I am glad our cyber-paths crossed this year and am dang proud to call you my blogger Platoon leader.
Is that in the same Cathedral that Yon wrote about? This is great news indeed, lets pray for more like it in the year ahead.
A humbled "thanks", Goat.
The above mentioned church is Mar Eliya Church. Michael Yon wrote about St. John's, also in Baghdad. There were previously 4 but are now 2, plus an Anglican church.
That's really neat what's happening over there. Maybe other people around the world can take a leaf out of their book(s)
That truly is wonderful. I hope you had a wonderful Christmas! I know I did.
Amy, I finally got your Christmas card today! Only one day late international mail! That's pretty good. Thanks, I love it!
Leticia, mine was phenominal. I'm really enjoying myself with my family. I'll be over to your blog to see if you posted about yours.
I'm not sure if people realize it or not, but 2000 people at one Mass in Baghdad is almost unbelievable. I read on some liberal blog that it was nothing but a photo op, although they admitted it was a good photo op.
For what insanity would 2000 Christians and Muslims risk their lives for a PHOTO OP? What would be the point? This is what faith does; it needs to worship at all costs. It isn't fake or phony; it desires to be in the house of the Lord just to be near to Christ, and that's what we see in this photo above.
Not only that, what a fantastic example set by the Muslim clerics to stand in solidarity with their Iraqi Christian brothers. I say "brothers" because that is literally what they are. They are all Arabs. This is one reason why the unification of the country is working. Iraqis recognize their brotherhood and place it above the devices trying to divide them.