ACI Prensa Staff, Jan 11, 2024 / 10:00 am
The Dominican Church of Our Lady of the Hour, one of the most emblematic in Mosul, northern Iraq, has been completely restored after the destruction carried out by Islamic State terrorists 10 years ago.
Father Olivier Poquillon, director of the French Biblical and Archaeological School of Jerusalem, posted on X Dec. 31 some photographs of the church, which was rebuilt with the collaboration of the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Mossoul : Fin d’année et fin des préparatifs de la messe pour la paix célébrée le 1er janvier par le Maître de l’Ordre des Prêcheurs ( Dominicains ). Que Notre-Dame de l’Heure veille sur le passage à la nouvelle année.
— fr. Olivier Poquillon OP (@OPoquillon) December 31, 2023
Ensemble, continuons à rebâtir la confiance. #paix #Prayer pic.twitter.com/cppC5KvS61
That same day, on the occasion of the solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, the Dominicans of Iraq celebrated a Mass for peace in the church for the first time since its destruction. The Eucharist was celebrated by Father Gerard Francisco Timoner, superior general of the Dominican order, in the presence of several friars and believers in an atmosphere of joy and hope.