Raphael Sacco: The Church of Abraham in Hebron will be opened soon

Raphael Sako, Chaldean Archbishop of Iraq, announced the opening of the Abrahamic Church in the city of Ur.

"The Church of Abraham in Hebron will soon be inaugurated in the historic city of Ur, the birthplace of Abraham," Cardinal Louis Raphael Sako, the Chaldean Archbishop of Iraq, announced in a message. "This place is designed for pilgrimage by Christians and Muslims, as Abraham is a revered figure in both religions and is the focus of this project."

This church, which is considered the largest church in Iraq and was completed four years after Pope Francis' visit to Iraq, is presented as a symbol of religious coexistence. It was supposed to be inaugurated on the anniversary of the Pope's visit to Iraq on March 6, but its inauguration was postponed due to the coincidence with the month of Ramadan and the Muslim fasting period.

The Great Church of Ibrahim al-Khalil is a complex that includes religious, social and cultural centers, designed not only as a place of worship for Christians, but also welcomes tourists and pilgrims from all over the world. Located in the Dhi Qar province in southern Iraq, 17 kilometers from Nasiriyah, the church covers an area of ​​​​10,000 square meters, and its bell tower, which reaches 23 meters, is a symbol of the unity of religions and respect for cultural and religious diversity in Iraq.

Pope Francis visited Iraq a few years ago with the aim of promoting interfaith dialogue and signing the Human Fraternity Declaration in Abu Dhabi, where he met with religious leaders including Grand Ayatollah Sistani. The construction of the church was also in line with this goal, to help promote peaceful coexistence between religions. In addition to the above goal, the church was also built to support Iraqi Christians, whose population has declined sharply in the past two decades due to the rise of al-Qaeda in the early 2000s and then by ISIS (as many of them were forced to leave Iraq).

The church's inauguration is scheduled to take place after Easter and the end of Ramadan, with the aim of allowing the Iraqi prime minister and other prominent Muslim figures to attend. The Iraqi government hopes that security efforts will help bring Christians back to the country.

Cardinal Raphael Sacco, in an interview with the media, stressed the need for Iraq and the Middle East to distance themselves from extremist ideologies and violence, and called for a move towards soft diplomacy and the rule of law. He also reiterated the importance of preserving Iraq's cultural and archaeological heritage, which he called "the true black gold," and believed that pilgrims and tourists from all over the world can help improve the country's economy by coming to the country and visiting the church.

In addition to his emphasis on distancing Iraq and the Middle East from violence, he warned that regional wars and instability continue to pose a serious threat to the future of Iraq and the region.