BAGHDAD, Iraq — Iraqi Easter was tinged with fear this year.

This city's Christian churches were filled with hundreds of worshippers who celebrated the resurrection of Jesus with kisses and hugs for family members. Family ties were especially cherished after weeks of war.

But for Iraq's Christians on Easter Sunday, shortages of power and groceries stood in the way of the usual painted eggs and pastries. Ongoing looting and concerns about life without Saddam Hussein cast a cloud over their sacraments, Arabic hymns and family gatherings.

Like most Iraqis, they say they are happy to see the fall of Saddam but they also say he offered them the secure predictability craved by tiny minorities.

‘‘Previously, we felt safe when we walked on the streets or were in our homes. Now we don't feel safe. We miss it,'' said Dr. Zaka Savaya, entering the Easter mass St. Joseph Syrian Catholic Church.

Asked if she was glad for the fall of Saddam Hussein, she thought hard.

‘‘Half and half. If the future will get better, then it was good,'' she said.

There are around a million Iraqi Christians comprising about 3 percent of the country's population. Nearly all the rest are Muslims. Christians trace their origins to the prophet Abraham in the southern Iraqi town of Ur. The north, especially the city of Mosul, is home to monasteries and ancient churches.

Many of the country's Christians belong to eastern churches that celebrate Easter a week from now. But hundreds of thousands are Syrian Catholics or Armenian Catholics who look to Pope John Paul II and follow the western dates for holidays.

Iraq has long been known for peaceful relations between Muslims and the minority Christians. At Christmas, Muslims will join Christians in their celebrations, even buying trees.

But at least part of the harmony was dictated by the ruling Baath Party, which was founded by a Christian in Syria and advocated a secular approach to government. Saddam helped finance churches. He usually treated Christian clergy well, even as his government brutalized or intimidated ordinary Christians along with Muslims.

‘‘In general, he didn't do anything against the Christians,'' said Monsignor Antoine Atamian, patriarch of Iraq's Armenian Catholics. ‘‘But he did a lot against human rights.''

Always a minority, the percentage of Christians in Iraq has grown even smaller over the last 20 years. Christians, in general with more wealth and extensive ties to communities in America and Europe, have fled the country to avoid the political oppression and economic decline.

But Saddam's tightly controlled society offered protection for minorities and constant order. Now, Iraqis face a spate of looting and disorder since the fall of the regime in the capital on April 9.