Every parish in Iraqi diocese will have jubilee holy door
December 22, 2015
The Chaldean Catholic archbishop of Erbil has asked that a holy door be opened in every church so that the tens of thousands of Christian refugees under his care may more easily experience the benefits of the jubilee year.
The city of 1.5 million, the capital of the autonomous Iraqi region of Kurdistan, was overwhelmed with refugees last year as the Islamic State advanced in western Iraq. An estimated 112,000 of the 245,000 registered refugees now in Iraq are in Erbil, according to United Nations statistics.
According to an AsiaNews report, Archbishop Bashar Warda sees the jubilee year as an opportunity “to hear God’s word inviting us to rejoice in his mercy,” for he “welcomes us and listens to refugees’ cry of pain.”
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Further information:
- Archbishop of Erbil: The Holy Family and Advent, a "fragile hope" for Mosul Christians (AsiaNews.it)
- UNHCR Registration Trends for Syrian Persons of Concern (UNHCR)
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