Mosul
(Fides Service) - Four Chaldean Catholics, a priest and three deacons
were brutally assassinated yesterday 3 June in Mosul in front of Holy
Spirit Church as they left after Mass. The three men were Fr. Ragheed
Aziz Ganni and sub-deacons Basman Yousef Daoud, Ghasan Bidawid
and Wadid Hanna.
They were shot “in cold blood”, said sources of the local
Chaldean Catholic Church as they were about to get into a car. Some
observers say the murder could be a warning launched by extremist
groups to the Synod of the Chaldean Catholic Church which started a few
days ago in Al-Qosh, 25 km from Mosul.
The news caused great sadness among Catholics in Iraq and in the rest
of the world. For some weeks Iraqi Christians had informed the
authorities of an escalation of serious episodes of violence on its
members. In the Hay Al-Noor district of Mosul, at 8.30pm last night no
one not even the police had been able to retrieve the bodies of the
dead men. At 10pm the bodies were at last carried into the church. Fr.
Ganni is the second Iraqi priest killed since 2003. The first was
Syrian Orthodox priest Paul Iskandar, killed last year in Mosul, 2006.
Fr. Ganni is the first Iraqi Catholic priest to be killed.
The Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans Mar Emmanuel III Delly and
the Bishops of the Patriarchal Synod, “ protested against and
denounced the martyrdom of Fr Ragheed Aziz Ganni and three sub deacons
killed at the end of a service in the Chaldean Church of the Holy
Spirit in Mosul, on Sunday 3 June 2007”. The statement continues:
“This was a shameful crime which must be rejected by every person
of conscience. The perpetrators committed a horrible action against God
and against humanity, against their brothers who were faithful and
peace loving citizens as well as being men of religion who faithfully
offered prayers to Almighty God to restore peace, security and
stability to all Iraq”. The Bishops of the Patriarchal Chaldean
Synod assured their prayers for “the eternal rest of these
martyrs and offer their condolences to the clergymen's families, to the
Bishop Faraj P. Rahho of Mosul, to the brother priests of the victims
and to all Chaldean Catholics everywhere in the world”.
The Bishops call for “unity and solidarity in these difficult
times and on this sad occasion, repeating previous declarations with
regard to the persecution of Iraqi Christians, forced emigration and
forced abjuring of their faith”. The statement concludes with a
heartfelt call to Iraqi leaders and to international organisations to
take “the necessary measures to stop these criminal
actions”. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 4/6/2007 righe 34 parole 378)
(Fides Service) - Four Chaldean Catholics, a priest and three deacons
were brutally assassinated yesterday 3 June in Mosul in front of Holy
Spirit Church as they left after Mass. The three men were Fr. Ragheed
Aziz Ganni and sub-deacons Basman Yousef Daoud, Ghasan Bidawid
and Wadid Hanna.
They were shot “in cold blood”, said sources of the local
Chaldean Catholic Church as they were about to get into a car. Some
observers say the murder could be a warning launched by extremist
groups to the Synod of the Chaldean Catholic Church which started a few
days ago in Al-Qosh, 25 km from Mosul.
The news caused great sadness among Catholics in Iraq and in the rest
of the world. For some weeks Iraqi Christians had informed the
authorities of an escalation of serious episodes of violence on its
members. In the Hay Al-Noor district of Mosul, at 8.30pm last night no
one not even the police had been able to retrieve the bodies of the
dead men. At 10pm the bodies were at last carried into the church. Fr.
Ganni is the second Iraqi priest killed since 2003. The first was
Syrian Orthodox priest Paul Iskandar, killed last year in Mosul, 2006.
Fr. Ganni is the first Iraqi Catholic priest to be killed.
The Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans Mar Emmanuel III Delly and
the Bishops of the Patriarchal Synod, “ protested against and
denounced the martyrdom of Fr Ragheed Aziz Ganni and three sub deacons
killed at the end of a service in the Chaldean Church of the Holy
Spirit in Mosul, on Sunday 3 June 2007”. The statement continues:
“This was a shameful crime which must be rejected by every person
of conscience. The perpetrators committed a horrible action against God
and against humanity, against their brothers who were faithful and
peace loving citizens as well as being men of religion who faithfully
offered prayers to Almighty God to restore peace, security and
stability to all Iraq”. The Bishops of the Patriarchal Chaldean
Synod assured their prayers for “the eternal rest of these
martyrs and offer their condolences to the clergymen's families, to the
Bishop Faraj P. Rahho of Mosul, to the brother priests of the victims
and to all Chaldean Catholics everywhere in the world”.
The Bishops call for “unity and solidarity in these difficult
times and on this sad occasion, repeating previous declarations with
regard to the persecution of Iraqi Christians, forced emigration and
forced abjuring of their faith”. The statement concludes with a
heartfelt call to Iraqi leaders and to international organisations to
take “the necessary measures to stop these criminal
actions”. (PA) (Agenzia Fides 4/6/2007 righe 34 parole 378)
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