Father Rafael Ciro, pictured above, served in the Diocese of Paterson New Jersey. / Credit: Courtesy of Diocese of Paterson
ACI Prensa Staff, Sep 2, 2025 / 14:53 pm (CNA).
The bishop of Paterson, New Jersey, Kevin Sweeney, mourned the suicide o… […]
Iraqi Prime Minister reopens the Church of the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of the Hour in Mosul. / Credit: Ismail Adnan/ACI MENA
ACI MENA, Sep 2, 2025 / 14:15 pm (CNA).
In the city of Mosul, Iraq, an official celebration was held on Monday, Sept. 1 to mark the reopening of the churches of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception known as Al-Tahera Church (for Syriac Catholics) and Our Lady of the Hour ((within the Dominican Monastery), after their full restoration.
The event was attended by Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, several government officials, and representatives of the organizations that supported the reconstruction.
Speaking inside the Church of the Immaculate Conception, al-Sudani declared: “This church rises from the rubble to represent the house where the Lord gathers people’s hearts without division or hostility, in a coexistence as old as Iraq itself.” He emphasized that the reopening is a return to “the spirit of Mosul and the brotherhood that unites its people.”
Archbishop Benedictus Younan Hanno, bishop of Mosul and its surroundings for the Syriac Catholics, urged the prime minister to extend the same care shown to Iraqi heritage toward “rebuilding the Christian people.”
He stressed: “The people of Nineveh need your care and attention, and someone to listen to their cries, especially your sons and daughters from the Christian community.”
Hanno noted that around 80% of Iraq’s Christians today “suffer violations and denial of their rights,” with many forced into exile.
“Iraqi Christians migrated under compulsion, leaving their homeland in tears and pain, and they continue to look forward to returning, longing to see Iraq as a beautiful country again, able to embrace its Christian children alongside their brothers from other communities,” he said.
Following the speeches, Hanno, al-Sudani, and other participants rang the church bell and planted an olive tree in its courtyard as a symbol of peace. The prime minister then moved on to the Dominican Monastery to reopen the Church of Our Lady of the Hour.
The churches of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception and Our Lady of the Hour, together with the Great al-Nuri Mosque and its famous leaning minaret, all located in Mosul’s Old City, suffered extensive destruction during the occupation of the city by the terrorist group ISIS (2014–2017).
After the liberation, UNESCO undertook the restoration of these landmarks as part of its “Revive the Spirit of Mosul” initiative, rebuilding them according to their original designs. The effort was funded by the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and the European Union (EU).
This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.
Catholic bishops planting a tree at the premises of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Bangladesh in Dhaka, Aug. 14, 2020. / Sumon Corraya
Dhaka, Bangladesh, Sep 2, 2025 / 14:00 pm (CNA).
In Bangladesh, the call for “care for nature” in Pope F… […]
Crisis Response Canines dog Axel visits with community members in Minneapolis after the deadly Annunciation Church shooting there, Sunday, Aug. 31, 2025. / Credit: Gloucester Township Police
CNA Staff, Sep 2, 2025 / 13:40 pm (CNA).
Police from … […]
Father Augustine Amadu of Sierra Leone’s Catholic Diocese of Kenema was murdered on Aug. 30 while he was preparing to take on a new mission in the diocese. / Courtesy of the Catholic Diocese of Kenema
ACI Africa, Sep 2, 2025 / 13:05 pm (CNA).
A… […]
Pope Leo XIV greets the faithful gathered in St. Peter’s Square from the popemobile during his Wednesday general audience on Aug. 6, 2025. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNA
CNA Staff, Sep 2, 2025 / 12:32 pm (CNA).
Pope Leo XIV’s prayer intention for … […]
The day before his elevation to the Sacred College of Cardinals was announced, Archbishop Francis George of Chicago, delivering an unprepared homily at a Saturday evening Mass, threw down a challenge to “liberal Catholicism.” He called it […]
The disciple John and Jesus in the new animated movie “Light of the World.” / Credit: Salvation Poem Foundation
CNA Staff, Sep 2, 2025 / 08:00 am (CNA).
A new 2D-animated movie, told through the eyes of Jesus’ beloved disciple John, will be rel… […]
Pilgrims gather in St. Peter’s Square for a Mass and canonization of 14 new saints on Sunday, Oct. 20, 2024. / Credit: Daniel Ibáñez/CNA
Birmingham, Ala., Sep 2, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).
EWTN News and EWTN Studios will join forces in Rome from Se… […]
In the wake of the murder of children during Mass in a Minneapolis church, various politicians excoriated people who expressed sympathy by sending “thoughts and prayers.” It’s not the first time politicians have taken umbrage […]
© Catholic World Report