Gunmen attack Iraqi church in Baghdad - official

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from CNN
– A Syriac Orthodox archbishop in Britain called for all Christians in Iraq to leave the country Sunday, one week to the day after gunmen stormed a Catholic church in Baghdad…
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…Archbishop Athanasios Dawood slammed the Iraqi government for not doing enough to protect the rights of minorities and urged Christians to quit the country.
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“I say clearly and now – the Christian people should leave their beloved land of our ancestors and escape the premeditated ethnic cleansing. This is better than having them killed one by one,” said Dawood, according to prepared remarks he sent to CNN.
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At this link there is also a video taken inside Our Lady of Salvation Cathedral where services continue.
Here everyone insists they will not allow terror to prevail, and the doors of this church [the cathedral] will be open every day.
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Here’s another article regarding the reopening of the Cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation.

I’m glad to see it refers to a Fr. Raphael Qotaini
Archbishop Casmoussa also reported that another priest wounded in the attack, 75-year-old Fr. Raphael Qotaini, was beginning to recover.
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In many places where the attack was initially reported it was stated that “Fr Qatin was wounded during the raid and died later in hospital.” It would appear that Fr. Raphael Qotaini is the Fr Qatin who was referred to earlier. Thanks be to God the earlier articles, which all seemed to come from one source repeated in many places, were mistaken about his death. :byzsoc:
 
pismopal said:
Your seeming attempt to assign responsibility for these attacks on Christians in the ME and elsewhere is not only ineffective, it is mistaken at the least and suspicious to me at the most. The persecution of Christians and other faiths for that matter are not real news…just recent headlines. This has been going on for a long time. The plight of Assyrians…just as one example…is heartbreaking and a glaring example of the intolerance of Islam…not “bad politics”.
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:clapping:
 
nohamaria said:
***A muslim country , when having to be friendly to another christian powerful country
they ask them first to build a mosque for praying. But , the same powerful
christian country, ask for money and resources and forget about
Gods christian mission. That’s why , there is no churches in Saudi Arabia,***Nohamaria:)
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Have you ever been to Saudi Arabia??
Do you have any idea how much $$$ America gives to the Saudis for oil? How many rich Saudis use America’s resources for education purposes and recreation??
Do you honeslty believe that Muslim nations are more tolerant of religious pluralism than the US??
Im not a far right wing reactionary that claims the US is Gods great gift but how about a little objectivity on this one.
 
simspt said:
Have you ever been to Saudi Arabia??
Do you have any idea how much $$$ America gives to the Saudis for oil? How many rich Saudis use America’s resources for education purposes and recreation??
Do you honeslty believe that Muslim nations are more tolerant of religious pluralism than the US??
Im not a far right wing reactionary that claims the US is Gods great gift but how about a little objectivity on this one.
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What you argue about regarding religious pluralism in US is
completely out of the subject. What am insisting to say
is that christans countries forget the Christ mission while dealing with
others. But Muslims country does’nt. I did’nt say that muslim’s countries
are more tolerent about relegious pluralism. But this relegious conflicts,
even between Muslims themselves( Sunna and Sheat) will destroy the ME.
Please, let us catch our breath and ask wisely: Who brought it?
I guess : bad politics is the main responsible of it.
Just my opinion.
With my deep sorrow of Iraqi casualities in all religions.
Peace.
Nohamaria:)
 
Here in Melbourne, Australia there was a peaceful protest about it…we hope the government helps our brothers and sisters in the Middle East.

Things like this, should not be occuring in this day and age 😦
 
From Joan Lewis’ blog today
THE TRAGEDY OF IRAQ’S CHRISTIANS IS THAT IT DOES NOT INTEREST ANYONE
The title of today’s first story – “The tragedy of Iraq’s Christians is that it does not interest anyone” - is from an article I read last Saturday on the website of AsiaNews. It deeply struck me as this is what I have felt since my very first visit to Iraq earlier this year…
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Do read the whole piece.
She also mentions:
Several dozen worshippers wounded in the October 31 attack on Our Lady of Salvation Church in Baghdad are now in Rome and being cared for at a Catholic hospital. Italy’s Foreign Minister Franco Frattini arranged for the Iraqis to come to Italy after being asked by the Vatican.
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AP reported that “A Catholic hospital in Rome says worshippers who were wounded in a Baghdad church attack will need weeks of care, especially for psychological wounds. Gemelli Polyclinic spokesman Nicola Cerbino says **the 26 injured who were airlifted to Rome at the Vatican’s request are being helped by neurosurgeons, eye specialists and other experts. **The patients include three children. At least some patients will need surgery, but Cerbino said Saturday that post -traumatic stress will also get treatment. Relatives accompanying the wounded are staying at a residence of the teaching hospital famed for treating popes.
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Also listen to her archived pod casts on Vatican Insider.
7/10/2010 Bishop Bashar Warda of Erbil in Iraqi Kurdistan.
7/17/2010 Fr. Rayan Atto, pastor of Mar Qardakh Chaldean Church of Erbil
7/24/2010 Fr. Rayan Atto, pastor of Mar Qardakh Chaldean Church of Erbil.
10/9/2010 Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem Fouad Twal.

Her most recent 4 pod casts were related to the recent Synod of Middle Eastern Bishops.
 
malphono said:
It’s really the same story we’ve heard over and over ad nauseam during the past 35+ (years, including the Lebanese civil war): “oh, look… it’s a bunch of Christian Arabs …” and that’s the end of it.
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First, I’d like to affirm that this is a terrible, evil tragedy.

I think the main problem is that the attitude is “Oh, it’s just a bunch of Arabs - period.” I think Americans are generally ignorant of the fact that not all Arabs are Muslim.

I recall several years ago having the pleasure of having a Duruzi co-worker. His family came to the U.S. to escape the persecution (I always joked with him that he was a heretic :D).

Blessings,
Marduk
 
mardukm said:
First, I’d like to affirm that this is a terrible, evil tragedy.

I think the main problem is that the attitude is “Oh, it’s just a bunch of Arabs - period.” I think Americans are generally ignorant of the fact that not all Arabs are Muslim.
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Perhaps it would be more to the point to say they’re ignorant of the fact that “not all natives in the Middle East are Arabs” since, as the vast majority of native Christians (not to mention the Jews) are not ethnically Arab. You may recall a [thread=341554]thread[/thread] in this forum about that that very issue some time back. 😉
 
I’m not sure if anyone has posted this yet, but I just saw it and find it incredibly heartening. The devotion that our Lord has placed in the hearts of His people in Iraq is nothing short of amazing.

Iraqi Christians Worship Again in Massacre Cathedral

200 people came to the Mass! Our faith is strong. The persecutors are seeing the true power of Jesus Christ by this action. God bless the Christians of Iraq who today live His example.
 
dzheremi said:
I’m not sure if anyone has posted this yet, but I just saw it and find it incredibly heartening. The devotion that our Lord has placed in the hearts of His people in Iraq is nothing short of amazing.

Iraqi Christians Worship Again in Massacre Cathedral

200 people came to the Mass! Our faith is strong. The persecutors are seeing the true power of Jesus Christ by this action. God bless the Christians of Iraq who today live His example.
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I posted a link earlier to a CNN video story which shows the Cathedral during that first Liturgy.

Support our agencies helping the Church in Iraq.
Iraqi Christian Relief
[Aid to the Church in Need](http://www.churchinneed.org/site/PageServer?pagename=ma(name removed by moderator)age)
 
I try to forget, but I will always see the blood stained church of Baghdad
by Giulia Mazza
One of the survivors of the 31 October attack on Our Lady of Salvation church, speaks. The events of that day are still very much alive and impossible to wipe from his memory, and in that of those who lived through that tragic day. The man is one of the 26 injured being treated at Gemelli Hospital in Rome from November 12, along with their families…
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Read the full account.
 
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