‘Kurdistan Will Always Stand for Religious Freedom,’ Barzani Says at Cathedral Opening

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) - In a ceremony that powerfully celebrated the Kurdistan Region's deep-rooted culture of religious diversity and coexistence, Prime Minister Masrour Barzani on Sunday inaugurated the magnificent new Umm al-Nour (Mother of Light) Cathedral in Ankawa, describing the grand new house of worship as a "gift from the Kurdistan Regional Government" to the thousands of Christians who sought refuge in the region after being uprooted by the brutality of ISIS. 

The Prime Minister's address at the consecration ceremony was a powerful reaffirmation of the KRG's unwavering commitment to protecting and nurturing all of its religious components, framing the new cathedral not just as a place of worship, but as a future "center for the further development of brotherhood and friendship among religions and for fostering the culture of coexistence in the Kurdistan Region."

The inauguration on Sunday, October 12, 2025, was a historic and joyous occasion, attended by a host of senior religious and political dignitaries, including His Holiness Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem and His Holiness Patriarch Cardinal Louis Sako. 

The Umm al-Nour Cathedral, a stunning architectural achievement built on an area of six thousand square meters at a cost of 4.29 billion Iraqi dinars, now stands as a new and prominent landmark in Ankawa, a town with a majority Chaldean and Assyrian population that has become the vibrant heart of the Christian community in the Kurdistan Region.

The cathedral, which has the capacity to welcome one thousand worshippers, was built entirely by the KRG's Ministry of Endowment and Religious Affairs, a tangible and significant investment in the spiritual life of the Christian community.

In his speech, Prime Minister Barzani began by reflecting on the profound shared heritage symbolized by the cathedral's name, "Umm al-Nour," which is one of the titles of the Virgin Mary. 

"The blessed Mary has a very special status not only in the Christian faith but also in Islam, and in the Holy Quran, her name is mentioned with great respect in dozens of verses," the Prime Minister noted. "In Kurdish society, too, many of our women are given that name."

This shared reverence, he argued, is a foundation upon which a deeper and more lasting brotherhood can be built.

The Prime Minister then addressed the immediate and deeply personal context in which the new cathedral was built. He spoke of the dark days following the rise of ISIS, when the terrorist group launched its genocidal campaign across Mosul and the Nineveh Plains, forcing thousands of Christian families to flee for their lives.

"Thousands of Christian sisters and brothers from those areas were forced to leave their homes and seek refuge in the Kurdistan Region, particularly settling in Ankawa to live in peace and tranquility," he recalled.

It was for these displaced families, many of whom have chosen to remain in the safety of the Kurdistan Region due to the continued instability in their home areas, that the new cathedral holds a special significance.

"This church is a gift from the Kurdistan Regional Government to those sisters and brothers," the Prime Minister declared, confirming that "many of whom I have heard are displaced from the Nineveh Plains and have remained here... and will use this church for their worship."

While celebrating the opening of this new spiritual home, the Prime Minister also made a solemn pledge that the KRG would not abandon the cause of their ancestral lands. 

"The Kurdistan Regional Government will continue its efforts to end this imposed situation in the Nineveh Plains and to create a peaceful and stable atmosphere so that our sisters and brothers can return to their homes and churches with dignity and of their own will," he affirmed.

This message of support and solidarity was echoed with profound gratitude by the church's own leadership. Mar Nicodemus Daoud Matti Sharaf, the Metropolitan of the new cathedral, delivered a heartfelt address in which he described the new building as a "symbol of resurrection on this sacred land of Ankawa," an embodiment of the "accumulated tears, the unhealed wounds, and the pains" of a community that had been brutalized but not broken.

He extended his "special thanks" to Prime Minister Barzani and recounted the powerful words of President Masoud Barzani, who at the height of the ISIS crisis had told the displaced Christians, "You are in your own homes and land. Your situation is our situation; we live together and we die together."

This promise, the Metropolitan stated, has been consistently fulfilled by the "blessed government of the Kurdistan Region," which has "continuously shouldered the sacred duty of rebuilding this church."

Prime Minister Barzani, in his speech, placed the inauguration of the Umm al-Nour Cathedral within a broader and very active government agenda of supporting and celebrating the Kurdistan Region's religious diversity. 

He pointed to a series of recent and upcoming events that, taken together, paint a vivid picture of this commitment in action. "A few days ago, we inaugurated a road project near the Lalish Temple, which was a great facilitation for our Yazidi sisters and brothers," he noted. He then announced that immediately after the church opening, "we will lay the foundation stone for the Al-Azhar Religious Institute, and we will also participate in the graduation ceremony of the Institute of Imams and Preachers in Erbil."

"All of this," the Prime Minister declared, "is evidence and a sign of the diversity of Kurdistan's society and the importance the Kurdistan Regional Government places on all religions and on the further deepening of peaceful coexistence and religious freedom in the Kurdistan Region."

He concluded his address with a powerful and forward-looking vision, stating that the KRG "will continue to promote the message of peace, coexistence, and respect for all religions, not only in the Kurdistan Region but throughout the Middle East."

His final words were a blessing and a hope for the future: "Again, I congratulate you on the opening of this church. May God Almighty protect Kurdistan, and may you always live in happiness, brotherhood, and harmony."

The magnificent new cathedral, born of tragedy but built with hope, now stands as a powerful and enduring symbol of that very vision.

Kurdistan will remain the land of coexistence in the region.

Today in Erbil, I opened the new Um Al-Noor Church and laid the foundation stone for the Al-Azhar Institute for Islamic studies. I also congratulated graduates of the Islamic Institute of Imams and Preachers. pic.twitter.com/MSDne9e0s5

— Masrour Barzani (@masrourbarzani) October 12, 2025