Iraq and the Christians of the East<\/h1>\n\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.oeuvre-orient.fr\/wp-content\/themes\/oeuvre-orient\/assets\/images\/icones\/filet.svg\")
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThe predominant religion in Iraq is Islam, with 62% of the population being Shia and 37% Sunni. Christians make up less than 2% of the population; two-thirds are Catholic (mainly Chaldeans and Syriacs), one-third are Orthodox, and there are also Assyrians. Yazidi and Sabian-Mandaean minorities are also present. Christians have lived in this country for 2,000 years. Before 2003, Iraq was home to one of the largest Christian communities in the Middle East. Eighty percent of the Christian population has fled the country since 1990. The Chaldean Patriarch (head of the entire Chaldean community worldwide) is His Beatitude Louis Rapha\u00ebl Sako. He resides in Baghdad.<\/p>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\t\t\tHistory<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tChristians in Iraq are the heirs to a very ancient religious tradition that predates the birth of Islam in the 7th century. Almost all of these Christians are descendants of peoples who lived in Mesopotamia before the Christian era.\u00a0The Chaldean Church was founded in Babylon by Saint Thomas and his disciples. They evangelized pagans and exiled Jews. At that time, it was known as the Church of the East. This Church, which had been separated since the Council of Ephesus in 431, rejoined the Catholic Church in 1553. The Assyrian Church remained separate.<\/p>\n
– In 1932, Christians made up 20% of the population;
\n– Beginning in the 1980s, the country experienced an initial wave of emigration, and the Christian population has since fallen to just 10%. Since the U.S. intervention, the population has continued to decline:
\n– in 2005, Christians still made up 5% of the population,
\n– in 2007, only 3% remained,
\n– in 2008, the figure had reportedly fallen to just 2%.<\/p>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.oeuvre-orient.fr\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/irak-photo.png\")
\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tL'\u0152uvre d'Orient in Iraq<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tRestoration of 31 homes in Qaraqosh, Iraq<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
In Qaraqosh, a Syriac Catholic town, L\u2019\u0152uvre d\u2019Orient facilitated the renovation of 31 homes identified by the Reconstruction Committee led by Father Georges, which was tasked with assessing needs and coordinating aid. As a result, 24 families were able to return home this summer, to everyone\u2019s great joy; \u201cThe children have more space, which is good for their studies,\u201d says one father happily.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\t![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.oeuvre-orient.fr\/wp-content\/themes\/oeuvre-orient\/assets\/images\/icones\/croix-jerusalem.svg\")
\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\tThe Reconstruction of Mar Toma by the Syriac Orthodox Church<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t
The predominant religion in Iraq is Islam, with 62% of the population being Shia and 37% Sunni. Christians make up less than 2% of the population; two-thirds are Catholic (mainly Chaldeans and Syriacs), one-third are Orthodox, and there are also Assyrians. Yazidi and Sabian-Mandaean minorities are also present. Christians have lived in this country for 2,000 years. Before 2003, Iraq was home to one of the largest Christian communities in the Middle East. Eighty percent of the Christian population has fled the country since 1990. The Chaldean Patriarch (head of the entire Chaldean community worldwide) is His Beatitude Louis Rapha\u00ebl Sako. He resides in Baghdad.<\/p>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n Christians in Iraq are the heirs to a very ancient religious tradition that predates the birth of Islam in the 7th century. Almost all of these Christians are descendants of peoples who lived in Mesopotamia before the Christian era.\u00a0The Chaldean Church was founded in Babylon by Saint Thomas and his disciples. They evangelized pagans and exiled Jews. At that time, it was known as the Church of the East. This Church, which had been separated since the Council of Ephesus in 431, rejoined the Catholic Church in 1553. The Assyrian Church remained separate.<\/p>\n – In 1932, Christians made up 20% of the population; Restoration of 31 homes in Qaraqosh, Iraq<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t In Qaraqosh, a Syriac Catholic town, L\u2019\u0152uvre d\u2019Orient facilitated the renovation of 31 homes identified by the Reconstruction Committee led by Father Georges, which was tasked with assessing needs and coordinating aid. As a result, 24 families were able to return home this summer, to everyone\u2019s great joy; \u201cThe children have more space, which is good for their studies,\u201d says one father happily.<\/p><\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\t<\/div>\n\n\tHistory<\/h2>\n\t\t\t
\n\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t
\n– Beginning in the 1980s, the country experienced an initial wave of emigration, and the Christian population has since fallen to just 10%. Since the U.S. intervention, the population has continued to decline:
\n– in 2005, Christians still made up 5% of the population,
\n– in 2007, only 3% remained,
\n– in 2008, the figure had reportedly fallen to just 2%.<\/p>\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n\n\n\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n\t\t\tL'\u0152uvre d'Orient in Iraq<\/h2>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t
\n<\/section>\n\n\nThe Reconstruction of Mar Toma by the Syriac Orthodox Church<\/h2>\n\n\t\t\t\t