Concrete walls up to 10 feet high are being built around churches in Baghdad and Mosul to protect Christmas churchgoers from violence, reports a Catholic News Agency. The barriers are the Iraqi government’s response to reports of increased threats to churches and other Christian communities ahead of Christmas. Normally celebrations would involve parties in church halls and parks. But after requests from church leaders activities in both Baghdad and Mosul are being scaled back to reduce the security threat. ‘The sadness of the people is everywhere. Uncertainty is everywhere. The question on everyone’s lips is What’s next?’ Archbishop Bashar Warda said.

Pray: that Jesus Christ would bless, protect and enable the Christians of Iraq to draw into His presence with joy this Christmas. (Jos.1:9)

More: http://www.christiantelegraph.com/issue11667.html

Christians in Iraq face possible martyrdom as an ever present reality. The campaign of violence against Christians is one of the most under-reported stories of Iraq since the 2003 invasion and could fundamentally change the country's character. By the time the dust finally settles on the chaotic current chapter of Iraq's history, the Christian community may have disappeared altogether after 2,000 years as a significant presence. About 200,000 Iraqi Christians have already fled the country. They once made up three per cent of its population but now account for half of its refugees. Erbil in northern Iraq has become a safe haven for Christian refugees who are too poor to leave or do not want to abandon their country. It is the seat of the Kurdish Regional Government which treats the Christians well and there is an established Christian community to welcome them. Refugees also gravitate towards the traditionally Christian suburb of Ainkawa. (See also Prayer Alert 0110 & 0610)

Pray: for more of God’s protection and provision for our brothers and sisters in Christ living and working in Iraq. (Ps.5:11)

More: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/religion/7550048/Iraqi-Christians-under-fire.html

Buses transporting mainly Christian university students from Hamdaniya to Mosul were the target of two bomb blasts earlier this week. The Mayor of Hamdaniya said, ‘All of the passengers were Christian students. They go in buses like that to Mosul's University after the troubled times when Christians were targeted in the past.’ A doctor at the hospital said at least 17 were critically injured. About 750,000 of Iraq's 30 million population are Christians. The US-based National Council of Churches have sent a letter to Hillary Clinton asking her to urge Iraqi officials to do more to protect Iraq's Christian community. ‘Our concern is now particularly acute because it is possible that tensions will increase as various political forces continue to vie for power following the recent elections. We fear that a growing climate of ,mistrust and animosity will further threaten the fragile Christian community’ the letter said. Attacks remain common, especially in Baghdad and Mosul.

Pray: for God’s people continually to experience an awe-inspiring sense of His presence in every circumstance. (Ps.18:16-17)

More: http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/05/201052113858638936.html

Middle East Concern have forwarded a prayer request for Iraqi Christians following a major incident at the Syrian Catholic Church of Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad Sunday. Claims of responsibility have appeared on websites used by extremists. Christian leaders in Iraq are concerned that this attack might prompt further internal displacement of Christians within Iraq. Iraqi Christians request our prayers that: a. The bereaved will know the peace, presence and comfort of Jesus. b.The wounded and traumatised will know the healing touch of Jesus. c. Those involved in providing pastoral care will know the Spirit's grace and gentleness. d. Christians across Iraq will know the Father's protection. e. The security situation in Baghdad will improve. f. Any Christians that feel obliged to leave Baghdad will find places of safety and be able to return soon. g. Church leaders in Baghdad will know the Spirit's guidance in all things, especially concerning services.

Pray: that God would use every situation to draw people to Himself and strengthen the believers in Iraq. (Jn.8:36)

The massacre at the Church of Sayyidat al-Najat is one of the most savage attacks inflicted on Christians of Iraq since 2003. Christians have been kidnapped, tortured, raped, evicted from their homes and threatened to convert to Islam or leave or die. Over sixty houses of worship have been destroyed, 17 Christian leaders kidnapped, some tortured and five killed including the bishop of Mosul and a Protestant pastor. Despite all efforts to drive Christianity from its Middle East heartland there is still a large number of the faithful who are determined to stay - come what may, saying this is their country in which their ancestors lived for thousands of years. On Sunday they gathered in the damaged church still stained with the blood of its martyrs and Muslims who were indignant at what happened showed their solidarity with the Christian community by joining them.

Pray: though afflicted may they not be crushed, though perplexed may they not despair, though persecuted they will never be forsaken, and when struck down may they rebuild. (2Cor 4:8-10)

More: http://www.christiantoday.com/article/christians.in.iraq.the.determination.to.stay/27065.htm

The murder of another Iraqi Christian from Mosul has renewed fears in that city, where the Christian minority has been the focus of a series of targeted killings. Louyaé Behnam was abducted last week from his home in Karkosh, a town in the Nineveh district. Ironically, his family had moved to Karkosh to escape the violence in his native Mosul. The Islamic group that kidnapped him demanded ransom. His family paid $15,000 - only to have his dead body returned. This latest in a series of murderous assaults is particularly significant for two reasons. First, it comes almost immediately after the withdrawal of US combat troops from Iraq, as the country’s residents worry about their prospects for future security. Second, the victim was abducted from the Nineveh Plains region, which has been suggested as a safe refuge for the country’s Christian minority.

Pray: for the Christians in Iraq that they would be protected at this time in the nation's history. (Ps.3:8)

More: http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=7380

A series of bombings and mortar attacks targeting six districts with strong Christian majorities in Baghdad injured at least 24 people. The attacks come days after more than 40 people died when Islamist militants seized a Catholic cathedral. (See also last weeks Prayer Alert and INSIGHT article on Christian Minorities in Iraq.) The violence came before the talks to resolve the country's political crisis ended yesterday with Iraq's main parties agreeing to form a government. Christian communities are agonising over whether to stay in Iraq or to try to leave. Since 2003 the Christian population has dwindled to roughly half following a number of bomb attacks on churches and abductions or killings of priests and other Christians.

Pray: for God to give more protection to Iraqi Christians so that migration ends and refugees return. (Ge.28:15)

More: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-11724378