BAGHDAD (AP) — At least seven people were injured when a bomb outside the entrance of a Baghdad church exploded on Easter Sunday, an Iraqi police official said.

The blast took place just yards (meters) from the Sacred Heart Church in Baghdad’s Karradah neighborhood. Shrapnel from the bomb struck the outside of the building, and at least four of the church’s windows were shattered. Shards of broken glass lay on the street in front of the building.

Like many Baghdad houses of worship, the church is surrounded by blast walls to protect it from such attacks.

The officer said no parishioners were inside and services had not been held in the building.

Four policemen and three civilian bystanders were wounded, said the official, who declined to be identified because he was not authorized to brief the media.

Iraqi Christians have faced a recent wave of violence, including an attack last year against a Baghdad church that killed 68 people. Before Christmas services, al-Qaida-linked militants threatened a wave of violence against Christians, forcing many to tone down their ceremonies.