ERBIL, Iraq — Christians in northern Iraq have marked a powerful milestone of faith and survival through an ecumenical Festival of the Cross, held from September 9–13 in Erbil.
The multi-day gathering brought together believers from the Chaldean, Assyrian, Syriac Catholic, and Syriac Orthodox Churches, who joined in candlelight processions, prayers, concerts, sports, and cultural events. The festival served as an extended celebration of the September 14 feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross.
A Sign of Survival after ISIS Persecution
Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, who helped plan the events with other church leaders, told pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) — which supported the festival — that the gathering showed the faith of Iraq’s Christians remains unbroken despite years of persecution.
“The timing of the festival is deeply symbolic. 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.”
ISIS (Daesh) controlled parts of the Nineveh Plains from 2014 to 2017, forcing more than 120,000 Christians to flee their homes and seek refuge in Erbil, in Iraq’s Kurdistan region. ACN provided humanitarian aid to displaced families and later supported the rebuilding of Christian villages, enabling many to return.
Photo Credit: Detroit Catholic
Festival Highlights
The festival opened on September 9 with a 1.3-mile candlelight procession in Erbil’s suburb of Ankawa, moving from the Chaldean Shrine of St. Elijah to the Assyrian Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. There, prayers and a homily by Mar Awa III, Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, were followed by a shared meal.
The packed five-day program featured music, cultural events, sports, marathons, and children’s games, culminating in a vigil on September 13. The celebrations built on last year’s inaugural ecumenical festival and are now planned as an annual tradition.
Archbishop Warda praised the role of the Joint Youth Committee, a group of 20 young volunteers from all four churches, who coordinated much of the event.
“Their collaboration became a visible sign of a new future,” he said. “Older generations watched with admiration as the youth discovered that what unites them — their faith in Christ — is far greater than what divides them.”
Photo Credit: Sriac Press
A Message to the Global Church
The festival is considered crucial to the survival of Christianity in Iraq, where the population has dwindled from 1.4 million believers under Saddam Hussein to fewer than 250,000 today.
Archbishop Warda stressed that the Festival of the Cross carries a global message:
“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.”
Credit: OSV News
