Barham Salih, President of Iraq. AP Photo.
The Iraqi Parliament has approved a bill which sanctions the birth of Jesus Christ as a holiday for everyone in the Muslim-majority nation.
The vote, which took place Dec. 16, was unanimous and goes into effect this year, AsiaNews reports.
Christians had previously been given the day of December. 25 off, but it was not considered a holiday for the rest of the population. An “official” request to this effect was made in October in a meeting with President Barham Salih.
Speaking to media reporters, the Bishop of Baghdad, Basilio Yaldo, hailed the ‘historic vote’ saying this is ‘a message of great value and great hope for Christians and for all of Iraq.’
Basilio noted that the move is inevitably linked to the pontiff’s apostolic journey to their country in March 2021.
“This is one of the first fruits we hope will bring many others in the future,” he said.
AsiaNews adds that the green light is a further recognition for a community victim in recent decades of serious sectarian violence and targeted attacks that have triggered a massive exodus.
According to Open Doors USA, there are 202,000 Iraqi Christians in a population of over 40 million. This year, the country dropped two spots down in the 2020 World Watch List, and has seen its overall Christian persecution score reduce.
Vatican News reports that President Salih also reiterated his commitment to facilitate the return of displaced Christians to their territories of origin, starting from Mosul and the Plain of Nineveh, which they were forced to abandon during the years of jihadist domination.
