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A pastor at the Baghdad cathedral where 53 Christians were recently killed has urged Iraqi Christians not to give up – even as fresh attacks claim more lives.

Rev Mukhlis Shasha urged his congregation at the Church of Our Lady of Salvation to stand firm during a series of special services this week in the aftermath of the attack on October 31. Fifty-three Christians were killed inside the building, including two priests, when gunmen who had taken them hostage fought with security forces.
'We may have sadness, but we will not give up,' Rev Shasha told The Washington Post. 'If we all leave the country, who will remember this massacre? Who will witness the resurrection of this church again?'
His call comes just days after more attacks on Iraq's dwindling Christian community. On Monday, attackers raided two Christian homes in the al-Tahrir neighbourhood of Mosul, killing the male head of each household. The next day, a Christian man and his six-year-old daughter were killed by a car bomb, also in Mosul. At about the same time, a car bomb was detonated outside a Christian home in the city centre. No one was hurt but the house was badly damaged.
Last week, a spate of bomb and mortar attacks targeted the homes and businesses of Christians in Baghdad, killing at least five Christians and injuring about 33.
An organisation linked with al-Qaeda has since claimed responsibility for the assault on the Baghdad cathedral. Security forces report they have made five arrests in connection with the raid.
(Sources: CNN, Compass Direct, Press TV, The Telegraph, The Washington Post, VOM Canada)

• Pray God's perfect peace over Iraqi Christians, especially those who have been personally affected by recent violence. Ask God to strengthen their faith.
• Pray that the Iraqi authorities will do more to protect vulnerable Christians.

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