Christians of Mosul rebuild one decade after ISIS invasion

Many of the Christian families who were forced to flee the ISIS attack have returned, but Archbishop Warda has urged continued international aid.

It’s been 10 years since the Iraqi city of Mosul was captured by the Islamic extremist group, ISIS, which caused thousands of Christians to flee their ancestral home. Now, many have returned, but a recent report from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) is highlighting how the Iraqi Christian community is still in need of assistance.

The June 2014 invasion of Mosul saw the city, as well as villages in the immediate vicinity, fall into the hands of ISIS control. ACN spoke with Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda, of Erbil, who estimated that some 13,200 Christian and Yazidi families were forced to flee to his archdiocese in Iraq’s autonomous Kurdistan region.

Now, some 9,000 of these families have returned to their homes on the Nineveh Plains and are attempting to rebuild their community. The archbishop expressed his gratitude for the charitable contributions of the international community, which have largely helped facilitate the return and reconstruction. Archbishop Warda commented:

“All those sad and terrifying memories are still there, but at least [the Christian families] can start building and see that the future is in [their] hands.”

He went on to note that there are many children who are in catechesis in preparation for their First Communion, and highlighted the special role that the Catholic University of Erbil – the only Catholic University in Iraq – has played in “nurturing Christian unity.” The children, as is ever the case, represent the hope of the future of this storied Iraqi Christian community.

While they are slowly rebuilding, Archbishop Warda renewed his request for aid from the international community. While he acknowledged that there are many areas of the world that are currently in need of international attention, he asked that world leaders remind Iraqi politicians that minority groups in the region have not been forgotten and should be cared for.

He concluded by expressing his thanks to the many international groups that have already lent aid to those who were displaced in the 2014 invasion of Mosul:

“The response from ACN and other Christian charities was a big help that made it possible for us to help those in need. We pray for you and for all our benefactors. We pray that whatever you give, we multiply it in a way that will help serve the needs of the people.”