It was another bloody Christmas for Christians in the Iraqi capital city.

Two separate bombings in Christian parts of the city left at least 37 people dead and hundreds wounded, some critically.

A car bomb placed outside a Catholic church was detonated as parishioners were leaving Christmas mass.  Officials at the bombing site say 26 people died at the scene and over 40 others were rushed to hospitals.  Witnesses say it appears the bomb was remotely detonated by someone who could see the crowd leaving the building.

Two bombs also ripped through a market in the Christian section of Athorien leaving 11 people dead.

There have been no immediate claims of responsibility for the attack but the rapidly dwindling Christian community in Iraq has been a major target for Islamic extremist terrorist groups like al-Qaeda.

At least 441 people have died from terrorist attacks in Iraq this month.