12/23/2019 Iraq (International Christian Concern) – Iraq’s Chaldean Catholic Church announced on Friday that midnight Christmas Eve services in Baghdad will be cancelled due to security concerns involving the ongoing protests. Mass, however, will continue on Christmas day.
This announcement comes just days after the church announced that they will host no Christmas celebrations as an expression of solidarity with the protesters. The country has been gripped in protests since October 1st, with no clear resolution in sight. The demonstrators are asking for an end to corruption, an end to sectarian politics, and equal rights for everyone regardless of religion.
Christians have expressed that these protests have ignited a hope in them that they did not know was possible for Iraq. However, the harsh response by the government has taken many Iraqis by surprise. With hundreds dead and possibly thousands injured, the government has been unrelenting in their aggression towards the protesters.
For interviews, please contact Olivia Miller, Communications Coordinator: press@persecution.org.
