Iraqi Chaldean archbishop seized, and three aides killed

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news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/7271658.stm

Gunmen have kidnapped the archbishop of the Chaldean Catholic Church in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and killed three of his aides, his church says.
Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho was seized as he left a church in the eastern al-Nour district, it added.
Mercy Lord on the martyrs for your faith, and mercy on the archbishop.

Forgiveness for those who have done this thing. 😦
 
Father Ragheed, Subdeacon Gassan, Subdeacon Basman, and Subdeacon Wahid–pray for them!
 
Woodstock said:
Father Ragheed, Subdeacon Gassan, Subdeacon Basman, and Subdeacon Wahid–pray for them!
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Thank-you Woodstock for supplying the names of the aides of the archbishop who were so viciously murdered, will be in my prayers.
 
kitkatty said:
Thank-you Woodstock for supplying the names of the aides of the archbishop who were so viciously murdered, will be in my prayers.
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Those are not the names of the archbishop’s aides. I’m still looking for them and would appreciate someone posting them if they are found. These are the names of a priest and three subdeacons who were killed in their car at gunpoint from the same church in June. They and one of the subdeacons’ wives were leaving church when gunmen stopped them, forced the wife out of the car, shot them all dead in front of her, then booby trapped the car with explosives to keep the bodies from being retrieved.

Now the archbishop and three aides were leaving the same church and were stopped at gunpoint, the three aides killed, and the archbishop kidnapped. The names or possible clerical ranks of the aides in this case have not been released yet as far as I can tell. I invoked the passion-bearer/martyrs from the previous attack, Father Ragheed Aziz Ganni, Subdeacon Gassan Isam Bidawed, Subdeacon Basman Yousef Daud, and Subdeacon Wahid Hanna Isho, to pray for them.
 
This is rediculous…Do they really think this is going to help gather support for their cause? If anything, these types of actions gain hostility, especially from the West. I plead with any Islamic cleric in the Middle East who has courage; push for the Bishop’s peaceful release!

LORD forgive them for they know not what they do…:byzsoc: :signofcross: :highprayer:

Prayers and petitions,
Alexius:cool:
 
Prayers for the safe return of the Archbishop, Lord have Mercy

Prayers for the souls of victims.

Michael
 
Praise God! May he be returned unharmed!

Monsignor Baptiste was kidnapped for ransom himself a few years ago.
Kidnappers in negotiations for release of cleric in Iraq

The Syriac Christian archbishop of Mosul has begun negotiating the release of his Chaldean counterpart kidnapped in the northern Iraqi city, the MISNA news agency reported Saturday.
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“We received a telephone call from the kidnappers and have begun negotiations for the release of Monsignor Faraj Rahhu,” Monsignor Baptiste Georges Casmoussa told the Rome-based missionary news agency.
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I’ve found the names of the murdered aides.

Please pray for the repose of the souls of Rami, Faris, and Sameer.

Eternal Memory!
 
POPE APPEALS FOR RELEASE OF ARCHBISHOP OF MOSSUL
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VATICAN CITY, 1 MAR 2008 (VIS) - The Holy See Press Office released the following communique late yesterday afternoon:
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"The Holy Father Benedict XVI was immediately informed of the kidnapping of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mossul of the Chaldeans, Iraq, which took place yesterday afternoon during an attack in which the prelate’s two bodyguards and his driver were killed. Archbishop Rahho had just completed the Way of the Cross, a religious rite which the faithful in Iraq hold very dear. This suggests that the criminal action was premeditated.
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“Saddened by this latest deplorable act, which is a powerful blow to the whole Church in the country and especially the Chaldean Church, the Pope feels close to Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, and to the entire sorely-tired Christian community, as well as to the relatives of the victims. The Supreme Pontiff invites the Universal Church to join his fervent prayer that reason and humanity may prevail in the perpetrators of the kidnapping and that Archbishop Rahho may be returned as soon as possible to his flock. He also renews his hope that the Iraqi people rediscover the path to reconciliation and peace”.
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For his part Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, prefect of the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, who is currently visiting Amman, Jordan, has made an urgent appeal for the immediate release of the Iraqi prelate.
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During a Eucharistic celebration held on 29 February in the Church of St. Mary of Nazareth in the Latin Vicariate of the Jordanian capital, the cardinal expressed his own closeness to and solidarity with the Catholic community in Iraq.
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OP/KIDNAP ARCHBISHOP MOSSUL/… VIS 080303 (280)
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Woodstock said:
Praise God! May he be returned unharmed!

Monsignor Baptiste was kidnapped for ransom himself a few years ago.
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Pray that that the Archbishop’s ordeal will lead to the grace of conversion! This is the Lord at work - He brings greater good from every evil. How can even the hardest of hearts resist the power of the God of love? The flame of the Lord’s love melts even stone. The terrorists now have the direct influence of Jesus Christ in their midst. Is this not exactly what is needed? It is akin to an exorcism of sorts. There can be no fear involved, only confidence in, and love of both God and captors, for Christ came not to call the righteous, but sinners. Now, He has their ear.

Let us fervently pray that the Hand of God is at work, and that His Divine will be done! Amen! Alleluia!
 
:byzsoc:
Praying for the archbishop.
:byzsoc:
Any updated news on this?
 
This is all I’ve found so far.

cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=56999
Mosul, Mar. 4, 2008 (CWNews.com) - While Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al Maliki promised an all-out effort to secure the release of kidnapped Archbishop Paulos Faraj Raho, the prelate’s abductors contacted Church officials in Iraq with new demands that “complicate the case,” the AsiaNews service has reported.
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“Any assault on Christians is an assault on all Iraqis,” the Iraqi prime minister said in a message to Chaldean Catholic Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly. Al Maliki ordered troops to hunt for the gunmen who kidnapped the archbishop last Friday, February 29-- killing three of the prelate’s companions, a driver and two bodyguards-- in the assault.
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The Misna news agency reported that the kidnappers had contacted the Syrian Catholic archbishop of Mosul, Basile Casmoussa-- who was himself a kidnapping victim in 2005. The kidnappers, whose identity is still unknown, reportedly demanded a ranson and also set political conditions for the archbishop’s release. AsiaNews sources said that the political conditions-- which they did not disclose-- seemed to indicate that the kidnappers were not merely criminals interested in financial gain.
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The kidnappers reportedly used Archbishop Raho’s cell phone to contact Church leaders with their demands. They did not provide any reassurance about the prelate’s physical condition. The archbishop is in poor health and requires regular medication. The kidnapping of the Chaldean archbishop-- who was seized just after leading the Stations of the Cross in Mosul’s cathedral-- occurred just after US troops conducted a military sweep of the area, targeted at eliminating Al Qaida forces around Mosul.
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