Iraqi Christians mark 40 days after Baghdad church attack

Dec 10, 2010, 14:12 GMT

Baghdad - Iraqi Christians attended a mass on Friday to commemorate the death of 52 worshippers in a Baghdad church, marking 40 days since the bloodbath resulting from an al-Qaeda siege.

'We pray that this country would rise with the help of our sacrifice and love,' Ignatius Moussa, the Patriarch of the church, said during the mass.

The mass at Our Lady of Salvation church, where the damage from the attack can still be seen, was to mark the attack when militants were holding some 100 worshippers hostage after Sunday services in October.

Around 52 people were killed, including security members, after Iraqi forces stormed the Assyrian Catholic church.

Posters of the two priests who were among those killed in the attack were hung outside the doors of the church, while photos of all 46 Christian victims were put inside.

The gathering urged the government 'to ensure real protection of Christians ... 40 days after the incident we still demand our right to live a peaceful, decent life in our homeland.'

The al-Qaeda-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq later claimed responsibility and said that Christians everywhere were 'legitimate targets.'

The mass was attended by a number of Iraqi officials, including Shiite politicians, Ammar al-Hakim, the head of the Islamic Supreme Council of Iraq and Vice President Adel Abdul-Mahdi, along with several ministers and officials.

The church tragedy was the most significant for Christian sects since 2008, when persecution reached a peak in Mosul in northern Iraq.

Iraq's Christians have been steadily leaving the country over the past few decades, but especially after wave of sectarian violence which followed the US-led invasion in 2003.

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