Iraqi Christian youth gather at the Ankawa Youth Meeting in 2022. / Credits: Aid to the Church in Need
ACI MENA, Dec 5, 2024 / 07:00 am (CNA).
In a survey conducted between 2022 and 2024, ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, explored the views of young Iraqi Christians — mostly Catholics — across various towns, cities, and church communities. The findings show that half of respondents feel the Church meets their spiritual needs and that a majority of them want to leave the country.
The poll targeted young women and men between the ages of 18 and 40, with 70% of them falling in the 18- to 25-year-old category. The results showed that 66.7% of participants feel they receive adequate support from the Church while 9.1% do not and 24.2% are uncertain.
Many participants said the Church provides opportunities for active roles throughout its institutions and activities. When asked to evaluate their engagement in Church activities on a scale of 1 to 5, approximately 77% chose a score between 3 and 5, while only 23% gave a lower score. Notably, about 75% of survey participants reported being active in the Church’s preparations for the synodal process, regardless of their varying perspectives.
Regarding faith aspirations, nearly half of Catholic participants (about 50%) felt that the local Catholic Church meets their spiritual needs, at a rate of 80% to 100%. Roughly one-third rated it on a scale of 60% to 80%, while the remaining group believed the Church meets their aspirations only moderately or poorly.
Iraqi Christian youth at the Ankawa Youth Meeting in 2023. Credit: ACI MENA
Youth and migration
The survey highlighted the issue of migration, unveiling that a large proportion of young Iraqi Christians are inclined to leave the country in search of a new life abroad. While 47% of respondents opposed the idea of migration, 13% remained indecisive, and 40% openly expressed their desire to emigrate. Those who are hesitant or determined to leave the country collectively comprise approximately 53% of the total participants.
Economic challenges and political obstacles were cited as the primary drivers for the desire to emigrate. Other reasons included religious concerns, family circumstances, and educational opportunities.
Despite the concerning numbers of youth looking to leave, an almost equal percentage remains firmly rooted in their homeland. More than 68% of participants denied experiencing religious discrimination, while 31.3% said they had faced it.
This story was first published by ACI MENA, CNA’s Arabic-language news partner, and has been translated and adapted by CNA.
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Map of the Democratic Republic of Congo / Shutterstock
Rome Newsroom, Jan 16, 2023 / 03:00 am (CNA).
The Islamic State has claimed responsibility for a deadly bombing at a Protestant church service on Sunday in the Democratic Republic of Congo…. […]
Lagos, Nigeria, Feb 23, 2021 / 07:49 pm (CNA).- Three years after Leah Sharibu was abducted from her school in Dapchi in Yobe State within Nigeria’s Diocese of Maiduguri, the Archbishop of Lagos has called on the country’s head of state to “do all in his power … to secure her release.”
In a Feb. 20 statement by the Director of Social Communications of Lagos Archdiocese, Fr. Anthony Godonu, Archbishop Alfred Adewale Martins says “it is sad” that the Nigerian school girl is still being held, three years after she was kidnapped by Boko Haram insurgents.
Archbishop Adewale urges President Muhammadu Buhari to “do all in his power as the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Nigeria, the one from whom all other security agencies take their orders, to secure her release.”
Leah is among the 110 girls abducted from the Government Girls’ Science and Technical College (GGSTC) Dapchi in Yobe State by members of the Boko Haram militia Feb. 19, 2018.
While most of the girls were released the following month, Leah, aged 14 at the time of her kidnapping, did not regain her freedom for reportedly refusing to convert to Islam. Five other girls died while in captivity, according to reports.
Following the release of the 104 girls, Buhari said that his government will not relent in efforts to bring Leah safely back home.
Making reference to the assurances Buhari give in March 2018 for Leah’s release, Archbishop Adewale regrets that “she along with others are still languishing in the hands of their abductors till date.”
“We have been told that several efforts have been made to ensure her release, but we are yet to see them materialize,” the 61-year-old Nigerian archbishop says, adding that “one can only imagine the severe physical, emotional, and psychological torture she and her parents have been going through all these years.”
In the Feb. 20 statement issued by the Director of Social Communications of Lagos Archdiocese, Archbishop Adewale also calls on Buhari’s government to work toward the release of other abducted students “and unite them once again to their already distraught families.”
Multiple reports indicate that Boko Haram has been responsible for attacks and kidnappings in Nigerian schools. Just last week, gunmen suspected to be Boko Haram militants raided the Government Science Secondary School in Kagara in Nigeria’s Niger State in the North-Eastern part of the country, kidnapping at least 20 teenage boys.
One student was killed during the Feb. 17 attack.
The militant group claimed responsibility for the December 2020 abduction of 300 boys from the Government Science School in Kankara, Katsina State, a territory covered by the Diocese of Sokoto. The boys secured their released after a week in captivity.
The Islamist militant group also claimed responsibility for the April 2014 abduction of 276 girls from their school in Chibok, Northeastern Nigeria. 100 of the girls are reportedly still missing.
In the Feb. 20 message, Archbishop Adewale also acknowledges with appreciation the January 27 appointment of Service Chiefs and reminds them of “the enormous responsibility ahead of them, especially the need to win back the full confidence of Nigerians in the military.”
The ordinary of Lagos further urges the new Service Chiefs to take the fight against insurgents to a higher level by “buoying the morale of the officers and men of the force and to employ sophisticated intelligence techniques to identify and further decimate the Boko Haram members and the bandits terrorizing the country.”
The “Holy Fire” is passed from inside Christ’s tomb to pilgrims gathered inside the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher in Jersusalem on May 4, 2024, for the annual Orthodox Christian ceremony, held on the day before Easter, according to the Julian calendar. / Credit: Marinella Bandini/CNA
Jerusalem, May 5, 2024 / 09:00 am (CNA).
Pilgrims gathered in Jerusalem Saturday for the annual “Holy Fire” ceremony at the revered site of Jesus’ burial and resurrection, an ancient custom considered by many believers to be a miraculous event that takes place the day before the Orthodox Christian celebration of Easter.
For safety reasons, attendance at the May 4 event was capped at 4,200 people inside the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher, though the crowds were more manageable and somewhat subdued this year because of a lack of pilgrims from the Palestinian territories and abroad due to the ongoing Israel-Hamas war.
Israeli police man a checkpoint inside the Old City of Jerusalem during the “Holy Fire” ceremony held at the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher on May 4. 2024. Credit: Marinella Bandini/CNA
Access to the Old City where the basilica is located was restricted beginning on Friday night amid a heavy police presence. Numerous medical personnel and firefighters were present inside the basilica.
Though its authenticity is disputed by some, the “Holy Fire” or “Holy Light” refers to a fire of purported divine origin that ignites inside Jesus’ tomb while only the Greek Orthodox patriarch is present. Pilgrims then light their candles by extending them through a small opening in the tomb, producing a dramatic scene of flickering flames and joyous celebration.
The Orthodox Christian ceremony, which is attended by Catholics and other Christians, as well, has been held continuously since at least 1106, though accounts dating to the fourth century relate that the apostle Peter saw the holy light himself inside the tomb.
Pilgrims carry candles lit from the “Holy Fire” inside the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem on May 4, 2024. Credit: Marinella Bandini/CNA
The doors of the Holy Sepulcher were opened at 9 a.m. by Greek Orthodox representatives and again at 9.30 a.m. by representatives of the Armenian Apostolic Church — the two Orthodox communities that serve with Catholic Franciscans as the custodians of the site. Only then did the faithful begin to enter the basilica.
Around 11 a.m., those present began to sing traditional hymns in the loudest voice possible. These chants date back to the Turkish occupation of Jerusalem in the 13th century when Christians were not allowed to chant anywhere but in the churches.
The heart of the ceremony was between 1 and 2 in the afternoon. After the solemn entrances of the other Orthodox patriarchs of Jerusalem, the Greek Orthodox patriarch, Theophilos III, entered the basilica.
Previously, the doors of the Aedicule (the small shrine that houses the tomb of Jesus Christ) had been sealed with a large wax seal — signifying that the tomb had been inspected and that nothing was present that could be used to start a fire. Shortly before the arrival of the Greek patriarch, the seal was removed, and a large oil lamp was carried into the tomb.
After completing three rounds around the Aedicule, leading a procession of monks and priests, Patriarch Theophilos III entered the Aedicule, followed by a delegate of the Armenian patriarch (who could not attend due to an internal dispute) and several bishops from various denominations.
The Greek Orthodox Patriarch Theophilos III exits the Aedicule of the Holy Sepulcher on May 4, 2024, in Jerusalem, showing the faithful the two candles just lit from the oil lamp that is believed to have been miraculously ignited inside Jesus’ tomb. Credit: Studio Sami Jerusalem
Only the Greek Orthodox patriarch is allowed to enter the chamber that houses the tomb of Jesus, while all the others remain in the Chapel of the Angel, a sort of antechamber that commemorates the appearance of a heavenly messenger to the women at the tomb announcing Jesus’ resurrection.
Before entering the tomb, the Greek patriarch was inspected by Israeli authorities to prove that he didn’t carry any technical means to light the fire.
All the lights and lamps in the basilica were extinguished, especially those inside the Aedicule, which was left in darkness.
What believers attest to be a miracle takes place after a brief time of prayer: A holy fire is said to descend from heaven and ignite an oil lamp inside the tomb.
Pilgrims inside the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher hold their candles aloft after the “Holy Fire” was ignited inside Jesus’ tomb on May 4, 2024, the day before the Orthodox Christian celebration of Easter. Credit: Marinella Bandini/CNA
On Saturday, after the lamp was lit the Greek Orthodox patriarch emerged from the tomb and lit bundles of 33 candles (a number representing the age of Christ at the time of his crucifixion and resurrection.) Meanwhile, pilgrims lit their candles also from the small round windows on the sides of the Aedicule, creating a dramatic scene outside the tomb. It is said that the fire does not burn anything (or anyone) for the first 33 minutes after being lit.
For Orthodox believers, the lighting of the fire is a genuine miraculous event, although voices within the Orthodox world itself have repeatedly questioned the authenticity of the miracle, attributing the spontaneous lighting of the lamp to tricks or chemical methods.
A lamp used to transport the “Holy Fire” from the Basilica of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem to Bethlehem is carried at the lighting ceremony on May 4, 2024. By longstanding tradition, the flames from the purported miraculous fire are brought to the main Orthodox churches in the Holy Land and sent to the main Orthodox churches around the world via specially arranged flights. Credit: Marinella Bandini/CNA
In solidarity with the Palestinian people in Gaza and the victims of the war, the Orthodox Christians have chosen a more subdued celebration this year. To that end, the Holy Fire was not passed hand to hand through the streets of the Old City of Jerusalem, as is the custom, but was brought directly into the homes of the faithful.
Special lanterns transport flames from the tomb to the main Orthodox churches in the Holy Land and around the world (via specially arranged flights). The arrival of the flames from Jerusalem will mark the beginning of the Easter celebrations.
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