It was a day to rejoice and cheer for the faithful as they saw a new bell being installed in their church. This was the scene which took place at Mosul today when a bell was inaugurated at a church to the loud cheers of Iraqi Christians. The event was important as it took place seven years after ISIS overran the northern city.
A large number of believers congregated at the church and stood patiently as Father Pios Affas rang the newly installed bell for the first time at the Syriac Christian church of Mar Tuma, according to a report by AP. Following the ringing, the crowd went into raptures. The ringing drew applause and ululations from the crowd. After this, prayers were held.
Affas speaking to the media said: ‟After seven years of silence, the bell of Mar Tuma rang for the first time on the right bank of Mosul.”
Mosul was swept by ISIS in 2014 and they claimed it as their “capital”. They were driven out three years after they had claimed the place by the Iraqi army following intense and gruelling street fighting.
According to the Father, the return of the Mosul church bell ‟heralds days of hope, and opens the way, God willing, for the return of Christians to their city.”
Expressing his happiness, he said: ‟This is a great day of joy, and I hope the joy will grow even more when not only all the churches and mosques in Mosul are rebuilt, but also the whole city, with its houses and historical sites.”
The bell was cast in Lebanon and weighs 285 kilograms. It was made with donations received from the donations from a French non-governmental organisation, Fraternity in Iraq, that renders assistance to religious minorities.
The bell reached from Lebanon to Mosul by plane and truck.
Mar Tuma church dates back to the 19th Century and after ISIS took it over, it was used by the extremists as a prison or a court. Now restoration work is going on in the church.
Restoration work is ongoing and its marble floor has been dismantled to be completely redone.
Nidaa Abdel Ahad, who attended the inauguration of the bell said she had returned to her hometown from Arbil so that she could see the church being ‟brought back to life”. ‟My joy is indescribable. It's as if the heart of Christianity is beating again.”
