The festival, underscored the survival of Iraq’s Christian communities a decade after the Islamic State group (Daesh) attempted to eradicate their presence in the region
Newsroom (16/09/2025, Gaudium Press ) Christians in northern Iraq celebrated a profound testament to their enduring faith and resilience during the Festival of the Cross, held from Sept. 9-13 in Erbil. The ecumenical event united members of the Chaldean, Assyrian, Syriac Catholic, and Syriac Orthodox churches in a vibrant display of prayer, music, cultural events, and sports, culminating in a vigil for the Sept. 14 feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
The festival, now slated to become an annual tradition, underscored the survival of Iraq’s Christian communities a decade after the Islamic State group (Daesh) attempted to eradicate their presence in the region. In 2014, Daesh’s invasion of the Nineveh Plains forced over 120,000 Christians to flee to Erbil in Iraq’s semi-autonomous Kurdistan region. Despite such persecution, the festival’s candlelight processions, concerts, and sporting activities signaled a defiant reclamation of faith and identity.
Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, a key organizer of the event, told Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), a pontifical charity that supported the celebrations, that the festival stands as a powerful rebuke to Daesh’s legacy. “A decade ago, Daesh sought to erase Christianity from this land. Today, the very same communities will raise the cross high in public squares, in churches, and in joyful processions,” he said. “What once was meant to be silenced has become a proclamation — faith has survived, and hope is stronger than death.”
The festival opened on Sept. 9 with a 1.3-mile candlelight procession through Erbil’s Ankawa suburb, from the Chaldean Shrine of St. Elijah to the Assyrian Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. There, Mar Awa III, Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, delivered a homily before a shared meal. The five-day program featured a rich array of activities, including prayers, marathons, children’s games, and cultural performances, fostering unity among the diverse Christian denominations.
Archbishop Warda praised the Joint Youth Committee, a group of 20 volunteers from the four churches, for their pivotal role in organizing the events. “Young people from all churches planned the festival together,” he said. “Their collaboration became a visible sign of a new future. Older generations watched with admiration as the youth discovered that what unites them — their faith in Christ — is far greater than what divides them.”
The festival’s significance extends beyond local celebration, serving as a beacon of hope for Iraq’s dwindling Christian population. According to the last census under Saddam Hussein, Iraq was home to 1.4 million Christians. Today, that number has plummeted to fewer than 250,000, battered by decades of violence, insurgency, and the rise of extremist groups following Hussein’s overthrow in 2003. ACN has played a critical role in supporting these communities, aiding refugees in 2014 and helping rebuild Christian towns after Daesh’s defeat in 2017.
Archbishop Warda described the festival as a “message to the global church.” He said, “From the land of Abraham, where Christians suffered exile and persecution, comes a word of hope — we are still here. We are one in Christ. The cross has not been silenced, and in Iraq, a small and wounded church has shown the world the power of unity, the courage of faith, and the joy of resurrection life.”
Building on the success of the 2024 celebrations, the 2025 festival aims to deepen its impact by expanding its scope and engaging more youth and families. For Iraq’s Christians, the event is not only a celebration but a bold declaration of their enduring presence and unyielding faith.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from UCAN News
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