Despite historical persecutions and setbacks, more Iraqi children received First Communion.
By Catholics for Catholics
It is one of the oldest congregations of Christianity, going back 2000 years while some of the churches use in their liturgies Aramaic, the language that Jesus spoke.
But each year that passes the question is how many Christians remain in Iraq? That is, after eleven years passed since ISIS seized Mosul and Nineveh?
The answer is complex, but the fact is that Catholicism is undergoing a sort of revival in Iraq, according to the Catholic News Agency. In spite of conflicts and reintroduced challenges from regional struggles, Iraqi churches stay full. Just weeks ago, Christians there celebrated joyfully as 1,000 young boys and girls received their first Communion.
In Bagdad, Chaldean parishes rejoiced in the first Communions of 50 children, while 32 others were administered the sacrament at the Syriac Catholic parish.
The Christian faith is alive in Iraq as hundreds of Catholic children receive their First Holy Communion—just a decade after facing brutal persecution by the Islamic State.
— Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) June 19, 2025
Video: Diocese of Mosul pic.twitter.com/7BdT7qEtBu
In addition, 11 children took their first Communion at the Syriac Catholic Church of Our Lady of Deliverance — the same church that witnessed a horrific massacre in 2010, when dozens of worshippers and two priests were killed and hundreds wounded.
CNA reported that churches belonging to the Syriac Catholic Archdiocese of Mosul and its dependencies in Qaraqosh (Baghdeda), 461 children received their first Communion across three separate ceremonies. In nearby Bashiqa and Bartella, Archbishop Benedictos Younan Hanno celebrated Holy Masses, where another 30 children received the sacrament.
During his homilies, Hanno praised the faithful’s determination to stay on their ancestral land and their courage in returning after forced displacement. He commended their commitment to preserving their faith and passing it to their children, who have grown up in stable, united, devoted families.
Still, in Basra, Christian families have decreased to less than 350 across all denominations — Chaldean, Armenian, Syriac, Presbyterian, and Latin — yet they remain on their land notwithstanding unhospitable living and environmental conditions. This year, the Chaldean and Syriac Catholic dioceses postponed first Communion celebrations, waiting to gather enough children for next year’s celebration.
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