IRAQ:
Bringing back God’s presence to Nineveh

As Daesh seized Karamlesh on the Nineveh Plains, seminarian Martin Banni rescued the Blessed Sacrament from the Church, taking it with him as he fled to Erbil in Kurdish northern Iraq.

Now ordained a priest, Fr Banni has brought the presence of Our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament back to his liberated village.

In a letter to ACN, Fr Banni said: “I was the first priest to bless the people in the church in my home village in northern Iraq.”

Despite the threat from Daesh, Fr Banni decided not to go to America where most of his family have settled, completing his priestly studies in Erbil, the capital of Kurdish northern Iraq.

Repeating his commitment to remain he added:

“I told you I would stay in Iraq to serve my people and our Church. Now, I am delighted to be celebrating Holy Mass here in Karamlesh.”