Anglicans worship again in Iraq by Rachel Harden THE ONLY Anglican church in Iraq held its first service since the war, amid heavy security, last week. St George’s, Baghdad, has had no priest or official congregation since the Gulf War of 1991. The congregation of 100 attending the morning eucharist received special greetings from the Bishop in Cyprus & the Gulf, the Rt Revd Clive Handford, who is now actively looking for a full-time priest to take over the church. A spokeswoman for the Bishop said on Tuesday that he wanted to find someone who would understand the Iraqi culture, and be sensitive to the needs of the area. The Archbishop of Canterbury’s envoy to the Middle East, Canon Andrew White, has just returned from Iraq. He and Canon Justin Welby of the Coventry International Centre for Reconciliation, had gone to Iraq for a series of extensive meetings with the Ambassador, John Sawers, who is the Prime Minister’s special envoy, and General Tim Cross, as well as with leading United States diplomats. Armed guards had been outside St George’s during the service, Canon White said, and helicopters had been flying overhead, as there had been a bomb threat. He also said the Throne Room in Saddam Hussein’s palace had been turned into a chapel for the use of the troops. Speaking on Monday, Canon White said that, although there was a sense of liberation among the Iraqi people, Christians still felt uncertain. Under Saddam Hussein, who had opposed Shia Muslim groups, they had been given special privileges. St George’s was now in better condition than it had been five years ago, Canon White said. But it still had no windows. Having been vandalised after the Gulf War, it was restored four years ago, when Bishop Handford appointed a caretaker. During the Iraq War, the caretaker, Hanna, and his family had disappeared, and there had been fears for their safety, but they had reappeared unharmed. ____________________________________________________________ Get advanced SPAM filtering on Webmail or POP Mail ... Get Lycos Mail! http://login.mail.lycos.com/r/referral?aid=27005