Archbishop of Erbil honours Christian martyrs

Friday, 3rd November 2023

Archbishop Wards speaking at the Great Pulpit

Archbishop Bashar Warda, Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Erbil, Iraq, addressed the reality of Christian persecution in the world today in a sermon preached at Westminster Abbey on Wednesday 1st November, All Saints' Day.

Archbishop Warda’s community includes many of those killed, wounded, displaced and marginalised in and around Mosul and the Ninevah Plains by ISIS/Da’esh.

He spoke of the immense courage of those maintaining Christian witness in the face of violence and oppression, saying,

'To witness for Christ is a treasure beyond all value that we hold deep in our souls.'

Watch Archbishop Warda's sermon

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The Noble Army of Martyrs

Archbishop Warda spoke as part of The Noble Army of Martyrs, a special series of sermons marking 25 years since statues to ten 20th-century Christian martyrs were dedicated above the Abbey's Great West Door.

The sermons are preached at Evensong in the Abbey at 3:00pm on selected Sundays until 10th December, and everyone is welcome at the services.
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