Security concerns kept many Iraqi Christians away from church Christmas Day, while those that did go went despite fears that insurgents, who have attacked churches and mosques in the past year, would strike again.
Christians, mostly from the early Assyrian and Chaldean churches, have been on edge since August, when four churches in Baghdad and one in Mosul were blown up in a coordinated series of car bombings. Many feared their houses of worship would be targets on Christmas.
Midnight Mass, the centrepiece of festivities for many Iraqi Christians, was cancelled due to night-time curfews. Instead, most churches held prayers on Christmas morning, although far fewer people attended than previous years because of fears churches would come under attack according to Reuters.
At one Baghdad church, worshippers walked past armed security guards to attend their Christmas Day Mass. Once inside, the small congregation lit candles, took part in holy communion and prayed for peace in their troubled homeland. Iraqi children in the church paid their respect to a nativity scene by kissing it.
"My visit to the church was a sort of challenge to the situation in the country," one Iraqi Churchgoer told Reuters.
"Security is lost in Iraq now, and churches are being bombed, but despite this I wanted to come."
Many Iraqi Christians, however, chose to stay home for the holiday.
Kenneth Chan
Ecumenical Press