Sunni & Shia Muslims Attend Christian Church To Show Unity
Sunni & Shia Muslim Clerics attend Christian Mass in Baghdad in Christmas in a show of unity.
2000 Iraqi Chaldean Catholics celebrated Christmas Mass in an eastern Baghdad Church! That’s incredible, particularly considering that there are at least 2 other Orthodox Churches in Baghdad. Sunni and Shiite Muslim clerics set the example of unity with their Christian brothers by attending the Mass as well. One Catholic parishoner said, “This Christmas was clearly different.”
Iraq has been living through some of the most peaceful moments since the U.S.-led invasion of 2003.
Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, leader of the ancient Chaldean Catholic Church and Iraq’s first cardinal, celebrated Mass before about 2,000 people in the Mar Eliya Church the eastern New Baghdad neighborhood of the capital.
Muslim clerics — both Sunni and Shiite — also attended the service in a sign of unity.
“May Iraq be safe every year, and may our Christian brothers be safe every year,” Shiite cleric Hadi al-Jazail told AP Television News outside the church. “We came to celebrate with them and to reassure them.”
William Jalal, a 39-year old father of three attending Mass at Mar Eliya, said this Christmas was clearly different.
“We didn’t celebrate like this in the past two years as we were holding limited celebrations for relatives in an atmosphere filled with fear,” said Jalal, a cook in one of Baghdad’s social clubs. “Now we feel better as we see all these security forces in the streets to protect us.”
Nods to drillanwr & Amy Proctor.
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Let there be peace on earth-here is a perfect example of it.
December 26th, 2007 at 8:31 am(This is encouraging … But what would be even more encouraging would be if the Christians were now invited to attend a mosque …)
THIS IS the ONLY way this country (Iraq) and that region as a whole is going to survive …
They need to develop a personal relationship with their own beliefs, and STOP forcing them on others … Religious tolerance has been the foundation to the success of our own country. We may not agree with each other’s religious or ideological beliefs, but we accept them and give each other space. The majority religion represented in the USA is Christian … and that is compiled of many different denominations/sects (if you will). However, we don’t go around violently opposing each other’s denomination as they do in the “Muslim” world. They need to learn, understand and practice “Live and let Live” … or they’re all going to die.
December 26th, 2007 at 8:40 amThis is a beautifull act of kindness and peace.
The rest of islam needs to follow suit.
Note this was all done in the name of CHRISTmas. Hopefully this tolerance and unity will spread to others.
God bless all those involved.
drillanwr you hit the nail right on the head.
December 26th, 2007 at 9:19 amdrillanwr, right on!
I think they are afraid if they let others choose their own religious path that Islam would cease to be. They launched christian programming in the middle east a few years back and the number of households that watch them is supposed to be unbelievably high. they cant show it in public though
December 26th, 2007 at 11:39 am