Iraq’s persecuted Christian denominations to celebrate Exaltation of the Holy Cross

Christian churches that survived jihadist persecution in Iraq will celebrate the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in an ecumenical festival Sept. 9 to 13. 

According to a press release from Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), the celebration will include the Assyrian Church of the East, the Chaldean Church, the Syriac Catholic Church, and Syriac Orthodox Christian Church.

Chaldean Archbishop Bashar Warda told ACN that the festival shows the faith is still alive in Northern Iraq. In 2014, terrorist group ISIS committed a genocide against Christians in the Ninevah Plains in northern Iraq, killing tens of thousands, as CatholicVote previously reported. Now, warlord Rayan Al-Kildani and his militia, called the Babylon Brigade, threaten these same vulnerable communities.

“The timing of the festival is deeply symbolic,” Archbishop Warda said. “A decade ago, Daesh [ISIS] sought to erase Christianity from this land. Today, the very same communities will raise the Cross high in public squares, in churches, and in joyful processions. What once was meant to be silenced has become a proclamation — Faith has survived, and hope is stronger than death.”

The festival seeks to build on last year’s ecumenical celebration. It began Sept. 9 in Ankawa with a candlelight procession from the Chaldean Shrine of St. Elijah to the Assyrian Cathedral of St. John the Baptist. The festivities include prayers, music, cultural events, sporting activities, and competitions. 

“The Festival of the Cross 2025 is more than a local celebration,” Archbishop Ward added. “It is a message to the global Church. From the land of Abraham, where Christians suffered exile and persecution, comes a word of hope — we are still here. We are one in Christ. The Cross has not been silenced, and in Iraq, a small and wounded Church has shown the world the power of unity, the courage of faith, and the joy of resurrection life.” 

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