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CV NEWS FEED // Churches from three Catholic rites and one Orthodox rite in Iraq are coming together this week to prepare for the celebration of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, according to the Chaldean Archbishop of Erbil, Iraq.
“For the first time the Assyrian, Chaldean, Syrian Catholic and Orthodox churches prepare together for the feast of the Exaltation of the Cross on 14th Sept.,” Archbishop Bashar Warda posted on X.
The Archbishop’s post included photos of a procession to the Assyrian church that depicted hundreds of worshippers carrying candles and torches through the streets, following a large wooden cross borne by six people. Fireworks were also set off over the church in celebration.
According to the Assyrian International News Agency (AINA), Christians will celebrate the Feast from September 10 to September 14. Celebrations will occur at different churches each day.
AINA additionally reported that “Iraq’s Christian community has been devastated in the past two decades” by “sectarian wars” and the rise of Islam in the country.
Open Doors, an organization that tracks Christian persecution across the world, ranks Iraq as the 16th most dangerous place in the world to be a Christian. Converts from Islam to Christianity are especially targeted.
According to Open Doors, the country has about 154,000 Christians.
