Syriac Catholic Church of Mar Tuma reopens for mass – in pictures
Iraqi Christians returned to a Catholic church in Mosul for the first time since it reopened after ISIS destroyed it. All photos: AFP
Mar Tuma Syriac Catholic Church, which dates back to the 19th century, had been used by ISIS as a prison or a court after the militants swept to power in Mosul in 2014.
The church was heavily damaged during battles to liberate the city from ISIS and was also ransacked and vandalised by the terrorists.
Thousands of Christians fled the northern Nineveh province where the church is situated, some to Iraq's nearby Kurdistan region. Many have never returned.
The Iraqi army eventually drove out the extremists after months of gruelling street fighting that devastated much of Mosul.
The service in the packed church began with worshippers chanting hymns as an organist played.
Priests lead mass at the Syriac Catholic Church of Mar Tuma. As part of the restoration, its marble floor has been dismantled and completely redone.
Despite the reopening, in some outbuildings and rooms on the first floor windows were broken and ISIS graffiti can still be seen. The repair work is continuing.
Iraq's Christian population has diminished to fewer than 400,000 from about 1.5 million before the 2003 US-led invasion that toppled dictator Saddam Hussein.
Several monasteries and churches are being renovated but reconstruction work is slow.
