A worship service for Iraq’s Russian-speaking community conducted in Baghdad

A WORSHIP SERVICE FOR IRAQ’S RUSSIAN-SPEAKING COMMUNITY CONDUCTED IN BAGHDAD

On November 20, 2002, a worship service for Iraq’s Orthodox Russian-speaking community was conducted at the Cathedral of St. George the Victorer in Baghdad by authority of the leadership of the Church of Antioch. The Divine Liturgy was celebrated by Archimandrite Alexander (Yelisov), representative of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to the Patriarch of Antioch and All Orient, who had come to Baghdad from Damascus purposely to meet with the faithful.

“We prayed today that the Lord may grant peace to Iraq, its long-suffering people and those Russians who are living and working here,” he stressed in his interview to the Novosti news agency.

Over 670 Russian citizens are working in Iraq and not less than 200 Russian women married to Iraqis live there. Besides that, about 300 citizens of Ukraine and Belorussia are working on Iraq’s construction projects run by Russian companies.