Construction of the church is to be completed this month
BAGHDAD - The bell of a new church built near Iraq's ancient city of Ur chimed for the first time last week as part of a push to lure back pilgrims to a country that is home to one of the world's oldest Christian communities.
. Last week, the large bell was fixed into its steeple, which is made of traditional Iraqi yellowish mud brick. Workers polished the large, brightly-colored stained-glass windows. His visit was a moment of hope for a Christian community that once numbered around 1.5 million, but has shrunk to the low hundreds of thousands in the two decades since the 2003 US invasion that triggered years of sectarian bloodletting.
"This church was built... near the archaeological sites of the ancient city of Ur so that large numbers of our Christian brothers from all countries of the world can come visit," he said.