Archbishop Najib Mikhael Moussa, OP, the Chaldean Archbishop of Mosul, gave an overview of life in the city to Vatican News. 

He told that reconstruction efforts in the city are following an uneven path, given the destruction caused by ISIS. Mosul is divided by the Tigris River. The locally-known Left Bank (east side) was left 20-25% destroyed. Many people were quick to return there and rebuild.

Today the area is “truly a living place”, according to Archbishop Moussa.

But the so-called Islamic State devastated 95% of the Right Bank (west side) portion of the city.

Fourteen churches were completely destroyed, along with 4 monasteries, he said. Life there is far from normal.

The terror spread by ISIS also left a scar on inter-religious relations, and now many Christians are hesitant to return home.

“Many Christians have lost confidence in their neighbors”, due to the friction they see between different Muslim groups, said Archbishop Moussa to Vatican Radio.

“The situation is still volatile,” he said. So Christians prefer to put off returning home in hopes of a more stable peace.

“If we want Christians to stay in Iraq, we must help them to remain at home,” he said, calling for guaranteed housing and job placement.

Archbishop Moussa concedes that reconstruction in Mosul, and throughout Iraq, will be a long and difficult process.

“But today,” he said, “the faith of Christians in Iraq is much stronger than yesterday.”

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