In Mosul, the wounded city of Iraq, a solemn event marked this September 1, 2025: the official reopening of two emblematic sanctuaries, the church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, known as Al-Tahera for Syriac Catholics, and the church of Our Lady of the Hour, within the Dominican monastery. These two edifices, totally destroyed during the barbaric occupation of Daesh between 2014 and 2017, have been rebuilt identically, bringing back to life the Christian heritage of the Nineveh Plain.
The ceremony, presided over by Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia’ al-Sudani, was held in the presence of political officials and representatives of the organizations that supported the project. In his address from the Church of the Immaculate Conception, he stated: “This church is reborn from the rubble as the house where the Lord gathers hearts, without division or hostility, in a coexistence that dates back to the very origins of Iraq.” For him, this inauguration represents a return to “the spirit of Mosul and the fraternity that unites its people.”
Archbishop Benedictus Younan Hanno, shepherd of the Syriac Catholics of Mosul and its region, took the opportunity to recall the distress of the faithful: “The people of Nineveh need your attention and your listening, especially your sons and daughters of the Christian community.” He stressed that nearly 80% of Christians in Iraq today live in suffering and denial of their rights, many having been forced into exile. The Archbishop spoke of these families who left in tears and pain, but who keep the hope of one day returning to a country capable of welcoming its Christian children again alongside their compatriots.
At the end of the celebration, the Prime Minister and the Archbishop rang the church bell, then planted an olive tree in the courtyard, a powerful gesture of peace and rebirth. Afterwards, the delegation went to the Dominican monastery to reopen the doors of the Church of Our Lady of the Hour, a symbol of unwavering faith despite the ruins.
These reconstructions were made possible thanks to the international initiative “Revive the Spirit of Mosul” led by UNESCO. The sanctuaries, like the great al-Nouri Mosque and its famous leaning minaret, have been faithfully restored according to their original plans. Funding from the United Arab Emirates and the European Union has made it possible to bring these spiritual and cultural monuments back to life, gradually erasing the scars left by Islamist terror.