Coptic Orthodox cathedral opens in Baghdad, Iraq, as Iraqi media chief urges Christians to return

The Cathedral of the Virgin Mary, St. Paul the Anchorite and St. Anthony the Great opened in Baghdad’s New Baghdad district, according to two reports of the event. Karim Hammadi, head of the Iraqi Media Network (IMN), attended the opening and described it as a clear sign of religious coexistence. One report said he confirmed this on Thursday, while the other said the opening took place earlier that week.

Hammadi said the cathedral is the first church of the Egyptian Christian tradition in Iraq. One report said it is expected to serve Egyptian Copts living in Iraq as well as other worshippers. The Coptic Orthodox Church is the principal Oriental Orthodox church of Egypt.

Both reports quote Hammadi on the violence Christians suffered under the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIS). He said Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad was attacked during a 2010 siege by the Islamic State of Iraq, which killed more than 50 people. The second report described the attacks more generally as having occurred more than ten years ago and named the same church among the targets. Both reports say Hammadi also said ISIS displaced Christians from their lands and homes in Mosul and other cities the group seized in 2014, and that Christians were driven out of those areas.

Hammadi used the opening to call on Iraqi Christians abroad to return. According to the reports, he said Iraq is safe and needs them back, and described the opening as a message to Iraqi Christians worldwide. He also said Iraq would always remain a father and big brother to Christians. One report notes that such a call would welcome those forced from their homes, a point that echoes the hospitality described in Matthew 25:35.

Thair Al-Ghanimi, chair of the network’s board of trustees, attended the ceremony with several ministers and officials, one report said. That report also said Prime Minister Ali Faleh Al-Zaidi reportedly spoke at the event and called Iraq’s diversity a gift. The second report does not mention the prime minister’s remarks or Al-Ghanimi’s attendance.