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St George's Church Baghdad

In calmer times

St George’s Church, Baghdad is the only active Anglican Church in Iraq. It was built in 1936 as a memorial to the many soldiers of the British Empire who lost their lives in Mesopotamia in the First World War. For part of its history, St. George’s functioned as a church for expatriates but the Church stopped functioning after the first Gulf War.

Following the 2003 invasion, the church was mainly used for services by diplomats and the military. However, following the outbreak of the insurgency, the situation soon became too dangerous and military and political figures could no longer leave the Green Zone to enter the church. Meanwhile, the decrease in Coalition presence was supplemented by an increasing number of Iraqis who started coming to the church chiefly because it became too dangerous for them to travel to their own services. The security situation in Iraq continues to affect the congregation and currently several armed guards keep watch over the building and safeguard the people during services. A bus collects most members and brings them to the church hoping to avoid the threat of kidnapping. Despite preventive efforts, the reality of violence remains. The US Army surrounded the church with huge concrete barriers and announced that everybody who comes in must be searched. Occasionally all services in Baghdad are cancelled because of security concerns. In September 2005 all of the lay church leaders were kidnapped and killed yet, despite the loss, the congregation continued to grow under the leadership of Canon Andrew White.

The Present Situation On August 9th and October 25th. The people of Baghdad suffered more bombings, directed at the centres of government. On both occasions St. George’s church suffered in the attacks. As we go to press news is coming from the bishop of the latest horrors. Rt. Revd Michael Lewis writes: “Canon White, currently in England for preaching engagements but due to be back in Iraq soon, is examining photographs of the widespread damage to the church compound. The dental and general medical clinics and the Mothers’ Union kitchen and food-aid facility have apparently suffered terribly, with equipment destroyed beyond use. Church vehicles, vital for transporting worshippers, have been wrecked. The lovingly landscaped and tended grounds, in which many children play, are a wilderness. While the church building itself stands, windows, both glass and frames, have been blown out entirely. At present it is unclear whether church members were among the dead and wounded.” Bishop Michael and his wife Julia paid their most recent visit to St George’s at the start of the summer, where well over a thousand people greeted them at the principal eucharist. “The faith and love of the people of St George’s is powerful and extraordinary. So is their resilience,” he said. “It’s heartbreaking to think that the clinics, which I opened last year and have been in constant use since then by Baghdadis irrespective of creed or affiliation, have suffered so badly. But the impressive Iraqi leadership team, together with Andrew White, will be determined to carry on witnessing to the unstoppable compassion of God in that great, battered city.”