Some of the 200 young Iraqis who will attend the upcoming World Youth Day in Krakow will pray the Our Father in Aramaic. As the Auxiliary Bishop of Baghdad, Basel Salim Yaldo, told SIR, a letter was addressed to Pope Francis on behalf of the Iraqi youth, in which permission was asked to bear witness to Iraq’s ancient faith, which to date is still expressed in Jesus’ language, Aramaic. Their request was granted, and the young Iraqis will now be able to pray the Our Father in Aramaic and sing a liturgical hymn during the celebration of the Way of the Cross. “It will be a very significant moment for us”, said the Chaldean Bishop Yaldo, who will not be alone in accompanying the youth. Alongside him, there will be Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, ten young priests and seven nuns. Their departure from Erbil is scheduled for 20 July. The young group will first fly to Wroclaw to participate in “Days in the Dioceses” before heading to Krakow to attend the Papal events. Most of them come from the Iraqi capital, others from the towns of Erbil, Kirkuk, and Dohuk. There are also some young people from the Nineveh plain who managed to escape from their villages during the IS invasion. “The flag bearer of the group will be dressed in traditional Iraqi clothes”, Mgr. Yaldo revealed. “In Krakow, we will bear witness to our faith, the faith of a war-torn country. We ask young people across the world to pray for us, to show us solidarity. Our young people should not feel alone. We need the spiritual embrace of the universal Church. From Krakow, we will take back to our country this experience of faith that we will relate during a national event that will be held upon our return.