Vatican newspaper highlights Qaraqosh’s post-ISIS rebirth

June 04, 2026

In a prominent front-page article in its June 3 edition, the Vatican newspaper highlighted the revival of Qaraqosh, an Iraqi Christian city occupied by the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS) from 2014 to 2016.

“In Iraq, in the Nineveh Plains, following the dark years of the self-styled Islamic State, a FOCSIV project supporting local agriculture is providing hope and employment, becoming a symbol of rebirth,” L’Osservatore Romano reported. (FOCSIV is the Federation of Christian Organizations for International Voluntary Service.)

The newspaper recalled that the 2021 visit of Pope Francis, “culminating in a Mass celebrated within the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception (which had previously been used as a firing range by the fighters), restored hope to the community.”

The FOCSIV project, funded by the tax that supports the Church in Italy, also provides “educational, artistic, and academic support activities to over 500 children and young people,” said Ivana Borsotto, the organization’s president.

 

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Further information:

• I peperoni verdi di Qaraqosh (L'Osservatore Romano, 6/3/26)