The Assyrian Democratic Organization
But the mood was one of sober reflection rather than jubilation as around 700 worshippers filled pews and stood in the aisles to share in the Chaldean Catholic mass at St. Paul’s church, in the eastern part of the oil-rich city.
“We share in the pain and grief of the Iraqi people, whether from the north or south, and we ask for God’s strength in facing the challenges that lie ahead,” said Father Jalil Mansoor David, the priest who led the service marking Christ’s resurrection.
“Now we must all work together to rebuild our society and also promote the role of Christianity. The responsibility on us is great,” he told Reuters before mass began.
Mosul, a city of over one million people 240 miles north of Baghdad, was bombed heavily by U.S. warplanes during the war on Saddam Hussein and suffered widespread looting and violence that has stoked tensions between Kurds and Arabs.
U.S. forces have tried to keep the peace but opened fire on an angry mob earlier in the week killing at least seven people. The violence appears to have subsided, but many in the dominant Arab community are furious at what they call a U.S. occupation.
David blamed the bloodshed on “ignorance” and the “hidden hand” of people from the ousted Baath party still in the city.
Outside the main entrance a hand-written note from the House of Bishops warned the congregation not to crowd outside the church after the service and make a spectacle of themselves.
A guard armed with an assault rifle looked down from the church roof.
RELIEF AFTER FEAR
Sensitivity over how Christians are perceived and the strong message of reconciliation are not surprising given the violence and ethnic tensions in Mosul during the last week.
There is also unease among Iraq’s estimated 700,000 Christians over the role they will play in a democratic, Muslim-majority country, after having enjoyed good relations with Saddam Hussein’s regime.
The ousted president consolidated his power by courting different religious, ethnic and tribal groups. He funded the reconstruction of an ancient Syrian Orthodox monastery just a few miles northeast of Mosul in the 1980s.
But David did not believe Christians would be singled out in the mainly Arab city, now Saddam was no longer in power.
“In Mosul we certainly don’t see any problems arising between Muslims and Christians,” he said.
Christians streaming into the church in their Sunday best expressed relief that the fighting was over.
“This is the first time I have been to a Sunday service since the bombing began,” said Nivine Yusef Sabagh, a pensioner. “I tried to come before but was too afraid,” she added.
Dhia Sobhei, an electrical engineer, said he had helped keep the church open throughout the weeks of bombing that led to the collapse of Iraqi government forces in Mosul over a week ago.
“During the services we could actually hear the planes fly overhead and the bombs dropping,” he said.
“We distributed food and medicine to people — Christians and Muslims — during the war.”
David estimated that some 150 to 200 people had attended Sunday mass even when U.S. warplanes were passing overhead.
Iraq’s Christians trace their roots to the first century when the apostle Thomas evangelized Iraq, which was then Mesopotamia.
An estimated 65-70 percent of them are Chaldeans, an old Catholic rite that originated in Iraq and is in union with Rome.
