Qaraqosh, 22 November, 2023 / 11:23 am (ACI Africa).
In the aftermath of a catastrophic fire in Qaraqosh, Iraq, which claimed the lives of approximately 140 people and injured around 250, the community is still grappling with the enormity of the loss.
Fr. Peter Sheeto, the pastor of St. Jacob Syriac Catholic Church, shared his heart-wrenching story with ACI MENA in the wake of the tragic event in the historically Christian town — also known as Bakhdida — in the Nineveh Governorate of Iraq.
Fr. Sheeto lost 10 of his loved ones in the blaze at the Al Haytham Wedding Hall on September 26, including his parents, two sisters, and the spouses of both his brothers along with their children. His grief and loss is profound: "I still miss my father’s laughs, my mother’s tenderness, and the innocent faces of my nieces and nephews."
Meditating on the Book of Job
The Catholic Priest told ACI MENA: "I’m living through my own personal calvary. I am bearing a heavy cross and I need a Simon of Cyrene to alleviate my pain.”
The wedding hall in Baghdida where the fire broke out. Credit : Manuel Banna 
Families of the victims of Bakhdida’s tragic blaze mourning the dead. Credit : Manuel Banna
