CHRISTIANS who survived attempts by Islamic State jihadists to drive them from their homeland in Iraq united in Erbil last week for a joint celebration of the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, a decade after tens of thousands of families took refuge there.

A week of processions, services, and community and sporting events brought together members of five ancient Churches in Iraq on 14 September. The denominations were the Assyrian Church of the East and the Armenian Orthodox, as well as the Syriac Catholics and Orthodox, and the more numerous Chaldean Catholics. These Churches have at times viewed one another as rivals rather than allies.

Many Christians have left Iraq since the defeat of IS, for fear of persecution. Despite this, the Churches’ bishops in the region urged congregations to stay and maintain the Christian presence in Iraq.

The Roman Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need, which supported the festival, said that such ecumenical co-operation was “essential” if Iraq’s Christians were to “not only survive but to flourish in their ancient homeland”.

Erbil is the capital of the semi-autonomous region of Kurdistan. The Chaldean Archbishop of Erbil, Mar Bashar Warda, said that the joint celebration was “a new and unforgettable scene” and “a landmark ecumenical moment”.

“The mix of prayer, culture, and celebration showed the faithful that the Church is not only about liturgy, but about life in its fullness — joy sanctified by the Cross,” Mar Bashar said.

“This was not simply an event. It was a living Gospel, proclaimed not with words, but with the sight of bishops walking together, the sound of choirs blending languages and traditions, and the laughter of children running under the shadow of the Cross.”