Oldest monastery in Iraq destroyed
January 20, 2016
Satellite pictures obtained by the Associated Press have confirmed that the Islamic State has destroyed Iraq’s oldest monastery, built in the sixth century.
The destruction of Dair Mar Elia (St. Elijah’s Monastery) in Mosul likely took place in the late summer of 2014.
“Our Christian history in Mosul is being barbarically leveled," said Father Paul Thabit Habib. “We see it as an attempt to expel us from Iraq, eliminating and finishing our existence in this land.”
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Posted by: Bernadette -
Jan. 20, 2016 5:30 PM ET USA
How tragic! I weep for them and for our Church. Please, please pray in solidarity with our brothers and sisters in the Middle East, particularly in Iraq and Syria. I beg our pastors of our Catholic churches to remember them in our Prayers of the Faithful at every Mass. Every Mass! They are suffering so and feel so abandoned!
