Mosul’s historic Al-Tahira and Mar Toma churches reopen after ISIS destruction, offering hope to Iraq’s dwindling Christian community amid ongoing recovery.
Newsroom (17/10/2025, Gaudium Press) “Despite everything we’ve endured, we still believe we have a vocation in this Muslim-majority country to bear witness to our faith,” declared Patriarch Louis Raphaël I Sako, head of Iraq’s Chaldean Church, in an interview with Vatican News. His words came moments after celebrating Mass on Thursday to reconsecrate Mosul’s historic Al-Tahira Church, a symbol of resilience for Iraq’s dwindling Christian community.
The 18th-century Al-Tahira Church, desecrated by ISIS during its 2014 occupation of Mosul and heavily damaged in the year-long battle to liberate the city in 2017, stood as a testament to the community’s suffering. Gesturing to the restored structure, Patriarch Sako acknowledged the toll on Iraq’s Christians: “We have suffered a lot and are tired.” Once numbering in the millions, Iraq’s Christian population has plummeted to an estimated 200,000, scattered across a nation scarred by conflict.
Yet, the Patriarch emphasized resilience. “We never lose faith and hope. Everything is based on hope,” he said, pointing to the bare Chaldean-style crosses adorning the church—symbols of Christ’s resurrection and the community’s enduring belief in renewal, even in the face of persecution.
A Historic Reopening
The reconsecration of Al-Tahira followed a secular inauguration ceremony on Wednesday, October 15, attended by local journalists, Mosul’s mayor, and the governor of Nineveh Province. The Mass, conducted in Arabic, Chaldean Neo-Aramaic, and French to honor the French charity L’Oeuvre d’Orient, which led the restoration, drew a smaller group of faithful, many of whom traveled from nearby Christian villages like Karamlesh. Few Christians have returned to Mosul full-time since its liberation eight years ago.
Noah, a 29-year-old from Karamlesh, expressed cautious optimism. “This reopening gives me hope that Christians might have a future in Iraq,” he told Vatican News. “Things are better now, but we never know how the political situation will change. God willing, we will stay.”
Alongside Al-Tahira, the 7th-century Syriac Orthodox Church of Mar Toma, also in Mosul’s Old City, was reinaugurated. Both churches, vandalized by ISIS during its brutal reign, mark a milestone in the city’s slow recovery. Mar Toma, once used as a prison by the extremist group, saw its 13th-century Door of the Twelve Apostles, carved from local farsh marble, meticulously restored.
A Legacy of Faith and Resilience
Al-Tahira, built on the site of the 5th-century Monastery of St. Gabriel—a theological hub in the 9th and 10th centuries—holds deep significance for Iraq’s Chaldeans. Patriarch Sako noted that the Chaldean liturgy, celebrated for the first time in the restored church, was composed at this very site. “It’s a liturgy of the Spirit,” he explained, describing its accessible, Bible-based prayers. “The invocation of the Spirit changes everything.”
The restoration, initiated in 2022, was a collaborative effort led by L’Oeuvre d’Orient and ALIPH, a global fund dedicated to preserving cultural heritage. Fadi, a 27-year-old Franco-Iraqi Christian who worked on restoring Mar Toma’s historic door, called the reopenings “a sign of hope.” He added, “It shows Christians living abroad that things are better here now, that they can move back home.”
A City’s Slow Recovery
Mosul, once the heart of ISIS’s so-called caliphate, was left in ruins after its 2017 liberation. The reopening of Al-Tahira and Mar Toma signals progress, but challenges remain. Msgr. Hugues de Woillemont, Director General of L’Oeuvre d’Orient, celebrated the milestone: “Today is a great celebration, not only for Mosul’s Christians but for all its inhabitants. Worship will begin here again, and the church bells will ring out once more.”
For Patriarch Sako, the churches are more than buildings—they are “our roots, our history.” As Iraq’s Christian community navigates an uncertain future, the reopening of these sacred spaces stands as a defiant act of hope, a call to preserve a faith that has endured centuries of adversity.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from Vatican News
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