An ancient faith is disappearing from the lands in which it first took root. Before the 2003 invasion of Iraq, as many as 1.4 million Christians lived in the country. Today, fewer than 250,000 remain.
In 2014, Daesh tried to eliminate Christianity in areas under their control, which included destroying churches and carrying out forced conversions. In areas like Mosul and the Nineveh Plains, a comprehensive programme was enacted to eradicate the Church’s presence.
The precarious state of Christianity in Iraq is tragic on its own terms and the world may soon witness the permanent displacement of an ancient religion, and an ancient people. The chapel for Iraq is a permanent reminder of this, along with being a symbol of Iraq solidarity.
Christians in Iraq have suffered some of the world’s worst acts of persecution, threatening the Church’s very survival in the country.
Thanks to benefactors of Aid to the Church in Need, they have been able to sustain displaced people and lead a unique global movement, which is committed to repairing homes and Churches, where destruction was carried out during the Daesh occupation in Iraq.
In the Calvary chapel of the UK's Holy Name Church in Manchester, an icon of the Mother of Tenderness, is on permanent display. The icon was commissioned in 2016, following on from ACN's 2015 vigil One Night for Religious Freedom for Iraqi Christians.
Show your support by joining us in prayer for the Church in Iraq. On social media, tweet @IraqSolidarity or use the hashtag #Iraqchapel to send a message of support to the Iraqi Christian community.
You can also help by making an online donation to our collection, which will go direct to Aid to the Church in Need's ongoing efforts in Iraq. If you are in Manchester and would like to support the Iraqi Christian community, then please get in-touch with us.
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