A plume of smoke rises near Erbil International Airport in Erbil on March 1, 2026. | Credit: Shvan HARKI/AFP via Getty Images
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By Georgena Habbaba
March 4, 2026
Catholic leaders in Iraq are calling for prayer and peace talks as the
country faces repercussions from the widening war in the Middle East.
As Iraq faces fast-moving fallout from the widening war in the Middle
East, bringing the country into its line of fire, Erbil, the capital of Iraq’s
Kurdistan Region, is now facing a double challenge after coming under attack
by Iraqi armed factions as well.
For days, Erbil and surrounding areas have lived with anxiety and tense
anticipation amid the sound of explosions linked to missile and drone attacks,
and the interception of both.
The predominantly Christian town of Ankawa has faced growing
challenges because of its location between targeted sites. Interceptions in its
skies have led to falling debris, causing limited damage to buildings and
property.
In response to these rapid developments and the worsening security
situation, Erbil’s Catholic bishops reaffirmed the universal Church’s call to
pray for peace and to place dialogue above the language of war and hatred.
A memory marked by wars
Bishop Bashar Matti Warda, head of the Chaldean Catholic Archeparchy of
Erbil, told ACI MENA, the Arabic-language sister service of EWTN News, that the
Church in Iraq “joins the faithful around the world, united in prayer with Pope
Leo XIV for peace in the world, and especially in the Middle East,” recalling
the painful suffering the region has endured, particularly Iraq, through wars,
violence, and displacement.
He said the past few days have been difficult because “the sound of
explosions and missiles awakened the collective memory of Iraqis in general,
and my personal memory, of painful chapters that are still alive: what we lived
through during the eight-year war against Iran, the Gulf War in 1991, then the
2003 war and everything that followed.”
Warda added: “They were terrible days that Iraqis in general, and
Christians in particular, remember. We prayed and hoped they would not return…
yet today we find ourselves living them again.”
Warda urged world leaders and decision-makers to stop relying on force,
stressing that “war is not only costly in material terms; the deep wounds it
leaves, and the painful scars in memory, are even harsher.” He also renewed his
call for people everywhere to unite with Iraq’s Christians in prayer for peace.
‘Do not be afraid!’
For his part, Bishop Nathanael Nizar Semaan, head of the Syriac Catholic
Eparchy of Hadiab, called on believers to be courageous, offering a clear
message of reassurance: “Do not be afraid… take courage.”
Speaking to ACI MENA, he said the faithful are “united in prayer with
Pope Leo XIV and all people of goodwill, asking God to fill the world with his
peace and joy.”
He added: “We raise our prayers to God, asking him to enlighten
everyone’s minds and lead them away from the language of war.” He encouraged
commitment to dialogue as the path to building a better future for all.
Semaan concluded by urging people to remain firm in faith and to arm
themselves with prayer for the “safety of our brothers and sisters here in
Kurdistan, in all Iraqi cities, and in the Middle East.” He entrusted all
cities and towns to God’s care, hoping that “these difficult days will pass
soon.”
Iraq’s Ministerial Council for National Security
previously affirmed Iraq’s commitment to preventing escalation and
ensuring its territory is not used for any external or internal conflicts, in
order to protect the country’s stability and its people.
A home owned by a Christian family in Ankawa, Iraq, is damaged by shrapnel from the interception of drones and missiles over Erbil. | Credit: Othman Al-Shalash/ACI MENA
Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Erbil Bashar Warda. | Credit: ACI MENA
Syriac Catholic Archbishop of Hadiab-Erbil Nizar Semaan. | Credit: ACI MENA
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