Iraqi church desecrated by ISIS gets new bell after restoration

Mosul's Christians return to see their church 'brought back to life'

• 

  Iraqi christians carry a large cross during the inauguration ceremony for a new bell at a church in the country's second city of Mosul. AFP

• 

  The church bell was inaugurated at the Syriac Christian church of Mar Tuma on September 18, seven years after ISIS overran the city and proclaimed it their "capital", before they were driven out three years later by the Iraqi army. AFP

• 

  Worshippers during the inauguration ceremony for the new bell. AFP

• 

  People gather as a priest rings the newly inaugurated bell at Syriac Christian church of Mar Tuma in Iraq's second city of Mosul, in the northern Nineveh province, on September 18, 2021. - The church bell was inaugurated today to the cheers of Iraqi Christians, seven years after the Islamic State group (IS) overran the city and proclaimed it their "capital", before they were driven out three years later by the Iraqi army after months of gruelling street fighting. (Photo by Zaid AL-OBEIDI / AFP)

• 

  The church of Mar Tuma, which dates back to the 19th century, was used by ISIS as a prison or a court. AFP

• 

  Restoration work is in progress at the church. AFP

• 

  The new bell weighing 285 kilograms was cast in Lebanon, with donations from a charity. AFP

• 

  The church's marble floor is being completely redone, as part of renovations. AFP

• 

  Iraq's Christian community, which numbered more than 1.5 million in 2003 before the US-led invasion, has shrunk to about 400,000, reports say. AFP

A church bell rang out in the Iraqi city of Mosul for the first time in seven years on Sunday.

The 285-kilogram bell was rung in the Syriac Christian church of Mar Tuma following a local and French-led restoration effort.

The church was demolished by ISIS during its takeover of the northern city in 2014. According to the French NGO Fraternity in Iraq – that led the project – the place of worship had been just “a pile of rubble” when repairs began.

I hope the joy will grow even more when not only all the churches and mosques in Mosul are rebuilt, but also the whole city

Father Pios Affas

The bell was restored in Beirut and then flown to Mosul to be reinstalled in the 19th-century church.

"After seven years of silence, the bell of Mar Tuma rang for the first time on the right bank of Mosul," Father Pios Affas told AFP.

A large congregation of Iraqi Christians travelled to the church to witness its reopening, which Fraternity in Iraq said was in part thanks to the efforts of the local Muslim majority.

“We would like to thank the dedication of the mukhtar [local elder] and the people of the Muslim village of Khidr because they are the ones who cleared the 600 cubic metres of rubble resulting from the blast,” the NGO said.

The return of the Mosul bell "heralds days of hope, and opens the way, God willing, for the return of Christians to their city," Fr Affas said.

"This is a great day of joy, and I hope the joy will grow even more when not only all the churches and mosques in Mosul are rebuilt, but also the whole city, with its houses and historical sites," he said.

Nidaa Abdel Ahad, one of the worshippers attending the inauguration, said she had returned to her home town from Erbil so that she could see the church being "brought back to life".

"My joy is indescribable," said the teacher. "It's as if the heart of Christianity is beating again."

Christians cautiously return

Faraj-Benoit Camurat, founder and head of Fraternity in Iraq, said that "all the representations of the cross, all the Christian representations, were destroyed," including the church's marble altars.

"We hope this bell will be the symbol of a kind of rebirth in Mosul," he said.

Iraq's Christian community, which numbered more than 1.5 million in 2003 before the US-led invasion, has shrunk to about 400,000, with many of them fleeing the violence that has ravaged the country.

Mr Camurat said about 50 Christian families had resettled in Mosul, while others travel there to work for the day.

"The Christians could have left forever and abandoned Mosul," but instead on being very active in the city, he said.