Iraqi Christians
Some songs were sung in Aramaic, the language of Jesus
BAGHDAD — Inside the beige
church guarded by the men with the AK-47s, a choir sang
Christmas songs in Arabic. An old woman in black closed
her eyes while a girl in a cherry-red dress, with tights
and shoes to match, craned her neck toward rows of empty
pews near the back.
Iraq’s Christians have fared poorly since
the fall of Saddam Hussein,
with their houses or businesses frequently attacked. Some
priests estimate that as much as two-thirds of the
community, or about one million people, have fled, making
Sacred Heart typical. Though a handful have recently
returned from abroad, only 120 people attended Mass on
Monday night, down from 400 two years ago.
The service began with traditional hymns.
Some songs were sung in Aramaic, the language of Jesus. It
was a reminder of the 2,000-year-old history of Iraq’s
largest Christian group, the Chaldeans, an Eastern Rite
church affiliated with Roman Catholicism.
