United in Faith: Iraqis celebrate the Feast of Cross

In Ankawa, a suburb of the capital city of Iraqi Kurdistan located in the north of the country, hundreds of Christians participated in the Feast of the Cross. The joyous event was marked by high hopes given that the Christians of various traditions that came together for the celebration - Catholic, Orthodox and Assyrian - united for the first time together in celebrating the memory of the finding of the Holy Cross on which Jesus Christ died for the redemption of all.

The focus of the celebrations underscores the faith that unites Christians. They prayed each day in a different church and participated in the various cultural meetings organized in the streets of the suburb. All the events were part of the preparations for the liturgical Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, which took place on September 14 for Churches following the Gregorian calendar, or September 27 for those following the Julian calendar.

At the opening of the festivities on Monday, September 9, a large cross was carried in procession to the Assyrian Church of the East of St. John the Baptist. The solemnity of the celebration was reflected in the hymns sung by the clergy and faithful holding large lit candles, a sign not only of praise and adoration but also of sharing and peace.

“Churches used to celebrate this commemoration separately every year. But this year is wonderfully different,” said Archbishop Bashar Matti Warda of the Chaldean Catholic Diocese of Erbil, who organized the event with the blessing of Mar Awa III, Patriarch of the Assyrian Church of the East, and the Bishops of the Syro-Catholic and Syro-Orthodox Churches.

– Vatican News