[7]. Christians in Iraq's North Hold Christmas Eve Mass.mp4 ((25 Dec 2021) Hundreds of worshippers gathered in Mar Behnam and Sara Church in Qaraqosh near Mosul on Friday to celebrate Christmas Eve Mass. The packed congregation sang hymns and also celebrated outside in front of a huge bonfire.Following Mass, Father Boutros Sheeto, priest of Mar Behnam and Sara Church in Qaraqosh called for political leaders to focus on the needs of their people rather than working for their own advancement.Only half of the Christian community in the small town have returned to their homes after they were displaced when Islamic State (IS) militants captured Mosul, and later took over Christian areas in the Nineveh Plains in 2014.  Qaraqosh, known also as the Christian capital of Iraq, located about 32 kilometers (20 miles) southeast of Mosul, was retaken by Iraqi security forces in 2016, when the country's government launched an offensive to recapture all IS-occupied areas.)