More
attacks against Christians in Mosul
IRAQ» 31/12/2009
A deacon
seriously hurt. A Christian killed before his house on Christmas
Eve. The impotence of the government and avoidance of
responsibilities. Nearly 2 thousand Christians killed in 6
years.
Christian student kidnapped by Islamic group in Mosul IRAQ» 30/12/2009
The girl was abducted from the faculty of education. In the
past, attacks have occurred against Christian university
students because they wear make up or they refused to wear the
veil. Attacks and kidnappings are a "warning" to force the mass
exodus of Christians. Some people speak of "ethnic cleansing" on
a religious basis
Mosul
attacks on two Christian churches, three dead and several
injured
IRAQ» 23/12/2009
The Chaldean Church of St. George and Syriac Orthodox Church of
St. Thomas hit. One bomb was hidden in a cart carrying
vegetables. The explosion kills a Chaldean Christian and two
Muslim. Archbishop of Kirkuk: "disturbing message" to two days
before Christmas
In
the Iraq war, Christians pushed to the brink
Arbil, Iraq — December 21st, 2009
At the height of Iraq’s sectarian war, Hana Hormoz’s Baghdad
neighborhood of Dora became a Sunni Muslim stronghold hostile to
him and his fellow Christians. Women were forced to wear hijab;
priests were kidnapped for ransom. Their local church was
bombed.
No
Christmas festivities in Basra because of Ashura
December 21st, 2009
iraq_ashoura_317862730.jpgBASRA (Iraq) - The Chaldean Bishop
(Catholic) of the southern city of Basra has asked Christians
not to organize public celebrations for Christmas because it
coincides this year with the Shiite mourning of Ashura.
Amid
the carols and decorations, Iraq Christians fear extinction
From The Times, December 19, 2009
It could be a scene from a Victorian Christmas
card. The young people gather in the church, decorating a tree,
while in the background the choir rehearses for Christmas Day —
the tune of God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen playing out. In the
theatre next to the church two clowns are playing musical chairs
with hundreds of children, while a bishop and an inflatable
Father Christmas look on.
Another
targeted killing against Mosul’s Christian community
Iraq » 18/12/2009
Gunmen kill a 30-year-old man on his way home. One attacker gets
out of the car to make sure he is dead. The last liquor store is
closed in the province of Babylon, and its owner is arrested.
Iraq is drifting towards fundamentalism and the Islamisation of
the country.
A
policy of “ethnic cleansing” against Christians under way in
Mosul, Mgr Sako says
>>IRAQ16/12/2009
The archbishop of Kirkuk says security measures
will be strengthened during Christmas for fear of new attacks.
Two attacks are carried out in Mosul yesterday; two churches are
hit, one baby girl is dead and 40 people are wounded. Source
tells AsiaNews that the Christian community is “destined to die”
in the city.
Office
of Chaldean patriarch hit by brutal attacks in Iraq
Rome, Italy, Dec 10, 2009 (CNA).
Auxiliary Bishop Shlemon Warduni of Baghdad revealed yesterday
that the offices of the Chaldean Patriarchate in the Iraqi
capital were damaged by the terrorist attacks on Tuesday that
left 127 dead and 500 wounded.
Al Qaeda cell claims massacre in Baghdad
Both were assassinated by a gunshot to the head. Iraqi cell of
al Qaeda promises new attacks if Islamic law is not applied in
the country. Senior police officer accuses Syria and Saudi
Arabia of complicity.
Archbishop of Mosul Laments Attack on Church
Says Fear Is Rising Again Among Christians
MOSUL, Iraq, NOV. 29, 2009
An attack on a
Catholic Church in Mosul have Christians throughout Iraq worried
for their safety, says the Catholic archbishop of Mosul of the
Chaldeans
(27 Nov 09 - RV) It was a day of violence in Iraq
yesterday as four people were killed and at least 32 others
wounded in two separate bombings south of Baghdad yesterday.
The attacks came on the eve of the Muslim Eid al-Adha holiday,
which begins today for Iraq's Sunnis and Saturday for Shiites.
Meanwhile,
In the city of Mosul, an ancient Chaldean church and a Dominican
convent were bombed, causing severe damage to both but leaving
no casualties.
We spoke to the Procurator of the Chaldean Church to the Holy
See, Monsignor Philip Najim who says Iraqi Christians are living
in fear...
Iraqis' stories must be heard
Friday 27 November 2009 19.30 GMT
Norman Kember (guardian.co.uk)
Four years ago, I travelled to Iraq to
talk with its besieged people. Chilcot cannot ignore them now....
Mosul:
Christian buildings attacked, Church of Saint Ephrem levelled
IRAQ» 26/11/2009
At present, there is no information about
casualties. Attackers carried out their action in broad daylight
without any opposition. The methods used are like those used in
the attack against the Bishop’s Palace in 2004. Christian
sources say the “attack was like a Mafia warning”, a message to
Christians “to leave the city.” The faithful are left with
anger, disappointment and fear.
Pope approves new archbishop for beleaguered
Archdiocese of Mosul
Vatican City, Nov 13, 2009 / 01:44 pm (CNA)
Catholics in the war-torn Archdiocese of Mosul, Iraq received
good news on Friday when Pope Benedict approved Fr. Emil Shimoun
Nona as the new Archbishop of Mosul. The archbishop-elect will
replace Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho, who was kidnapped by
militants last February and found dead two weeks later.
For 1600 years, Iraq has been a "country of
martyrs" says Archbishop of Kirkuk.
IRAQ 13/10/2009
Diocese remembers the massacre of Christians in
409 AD, in which hundreds of people were beheaded for their
faith. Program includes a fast for peace, prayers, masses and a
conference. Archbishop Sako: the persecutions have not stopped
"the story and the journey" of Christians, strong in the Holy
Spirit and the Eucharist.
IRAQ-VATICAN - Mons. Sako: Special synod for
the Middle East, Christian’s courage versus disappointment. 26/09/2009, IRAQ-VATICAN
The archbishop
of Kirkuk thanks the pope for having organized the next synod
and asks the bishops and patriarchs for a missionary reform of
the Eastern Churches: implementing the Second Vatican Council;
re-evangelization of Christians; Mission to Islam, dialogue with
Judaism, concrete unity between Catholics and Orthodox.
I asked the Pope for a Mideast
Synod to renew the Christian presence, says Mgr Sako
23/01/2009, VATICAN – IRAQ
The archbishop of Kirkuk
met Benedict XVI today and described to him his plan for Synod
of Middle East bishops. He wants to see “catechesis and pastoral
care” renewed and “adapted to today’s reality.” He makes an
appeal for “young people to be trained for Iraq’s social and
political life.”
Kidnapping
and release of Christian woman doctor shows Iraq’s Mosul still
unsafe
By Jareer
Mohammed
Azzaman,
September 28, 2009
The kidnapping
of a woman doctor from a Christian village close to the northern
city of Mosul last week was a reminder how unsafe and vulnerable
Iraqi minorities have become.
Although Dr.
Mahassen Basheer was released two days later, her freedom was
only gained after paying a hefty ransom.
Kirkuk: a businessman killed, a doctor
kidnapped. Fear returns to haunt Christians
IRAQ 19/08/2009
Yesterday in northern Iraq two violent episodes
took place against the Christian community. A man was murdered
because he tried to prevent the abduction of a Muslim child. A
doctor kidnapped for money; a passer-by killed during the
abduction. Local sources confirm a climate of "concern" that
could cause "another mass exodus.
In the wake of attacks on eight churches in Baghdad and Mosul,
Archbishop Jean Benjamin Sleiman of Baghdad encouraged Iraqi
Christians to maintain hope and to “trust in the country and in
the path towards unity.”
Letter
from the World Council of Churches to the Churches in Iraq
July 16th, 2009
Geneva, 14 July 2009
Dear sisters and brothers in Christ,
We have been deeply troubled and saddened by the brutal wave of
violent
attacks on the churches and Christian communities in Baghdad,
Mosul and Kerkuk over this last week, which have left four
people dead and 32 others injured.
On behalf of the World Council of Churches I am writing to
express our deepest concern over the loss of life and the
constant threats you have suffered over the past six years.
At the same time, I am writing to assure you of our support as
you pass through these turbulent and challenging times, and to
encourage you to continue to witness to the love and peace of
God in Jesus Christ even amidst hatred and aggression.
It is with this spirit that we are organizing a visit to the
churches in Baghdad, Mosul and the North of Iraq by
representative members of the WCC fellowship of churches, to
demonstrate our solidarity and support, to share your concerns
and hopes, and to work with you for peaceful solutions.
On behalf of the ecumenical family, we express our sincere
condolences and sympathy to the people of Iraq, especially to
the families of those who were killed and injured. We pray for
peace and reconciliation in Iraq, and for those who are
displaced, for all others who suffer the consequences of
violence and for all who are striving to restore trust and
goodwill among people and communities.
You are constantly in our thoughts and prayers as you pass
through this tragic and critical time.
Yours in Christ,
Rev. Dr Samuel Kobia
General Secretary
Open letter from Ankawa.com
Date: 2009-07-16
No;081
The Honorable Nuri al-Maliki
Prime Minister
Federal Republic of Iraq
Baghdad, Iraq
Dear Prime Minister al-Maliki,
I am in great distress over the latest attacks perpetrated
against our churches in Iraq.
This contemptible action is clearly ethnocide and is intended to
intimidate and..
Iraqis’ list of woes is too long, sadly, to allow for more to be
added, yet the recent tensions between the Muslim majority and
the Christian minority came to lengthen it, adding a new
dimension to the religious problems in the country.
Catholic Center condemns Baghdad church
attacks
By Carol Rizk Special to The Daily Star
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Catholic Media Center sounded
the alarm on Tuesday saying Iraq’s Christians were facing
increasing injustice and were being pushed to flea their home
country.
Car bomb
against Mosul church as Mgr Warduni calls attacks in Baghdad
premeditated
IRAQ»
13/07/2009 14:03
In northern
Iraq Our Lady of Fatima Church is hit; nearby Shia mosque is
also damaged. Local sources warn of new attacks “against
churches and monasteries”. A new Christian exodus is feared. For
auxiliary bishop of Baghdad attacks were “organised”; he appeals
for peace.
Iraqi Christians need better protection, UN
envoy says after deadly bombings 13 July 2009
The top
United Nations envoy to Iraq today called for a redoubling of
efforts to protect the country’s Christians, as well as its
other minority communities, following a series of “orchestrated”
bombings over the weekend that hit several churches.
delivers a message from HE Cardinal Delli
(Patriarch of Babylon and of the Chaldeans )to The conference on the Christian Presence in Iraq
held in Lebanon.
Iraq despite increasing violence
By Carmen Blanco - Catholic News Service
Thursday, 25 June 2009
Despite growing numbers of Iraqi Christians
fleeing their country to escape the violence and persecution, an
Iraqi Dominican nun says she will remain in her country.
On Saturday 30th
May 2009, the charity ICIN (Iraq Christians In Need) held their
2nd Anniversary, hosting a Dinner and Dance at the Holiday Inn
Hotel in Surbiton which was attended by a large number of
supporters. The charity was established to help the needy Iraqi
Christians who as a result of the war have been suffering,
displaced, destitute and persecuted.
It’s First
Communion season in Jordan, too! Here are some children who
received Jesus for the first time from the hands of the Holy
Father. I’m particularly touched by the fact that 40 Iraqi
children were among them.
Posted by
Rebecca Teti in News on
Wednesday, May
13, 2009
Tony Blair has helped destroy one of the
oldest Churches on earth
Posted By: Ed West on May 11, 2009 Telegraph
blogs
If George Bush and Tony Blair were "crusaders",
as Muslims insist, then they were the worst in history. Worst,
that is, as in the most ineffective. What other Crusade has
resulted in the Christian population of a country being almost
totally destroyed?
Now that the Americans are leaving Iraq, the ancient Christian
community, who converted in the second century while our
ancestors were still worshipping rocks, and who still speak
Aramaic, will pay the ultimate price. Nice one, Tony, you've
helped to destroy one of the oldest Christian communities on
earth and with it the language of Christ. Stick that on the wall
of your inter-faith centre.
Pope Benedict XVI urged the
world to make every effort to protect Iraq’s Christian minority
in a speech on Saturday to Muslim leaders in neighbouring
Jordan.
Pope Benedict has urged the world to make efforts to protect
Iraq's Christian minority.
In a speech Saturday to Muslim leaders in Jordan, the pontiff
called on the international community and local political and
religious leaders to try to ensure Iraqi Christians a "right to
peaceful coexistence" with other Iraqis.
San Diego County is home to the second largest
Iraqi population in the country. Most are Christians, Chaldean
Iraqis who fled from Saddam Hussein's regime. But a flood of
refugees has emigrated here since the Iraq War began, and many
have heartbreaking stories.
In a special report, KUSI's John Soderman takes a look at the
untold story of Iraqi suffering.
Staying Catholic, Volunteering in Baghdad's
Chaos
Baghdad, May 5, 2009
I've been the last seven days in Baghdad, lodging
in a Chaldean Catholic convent in a Shiite neighborhood across
from the green zone. The two nuns here - protected round the
clock by guards of their own choosing who are paid by the Iraqi
government - leave their small compound only to go to the market
or to Mass. The 20 orphan girls under their care were taken to
the relative safety of northern Iraq late last year. My
colleague and I didn't get much sleep in the convent, some
combination of the low-flying helicopters all night long and the
non-stop generator.
Kirkuk: commando brigade attacks two Christian
families, three killed
04/27/2009 17:21, IRAQ
Today Louis Sako, the
archbishop of Kirkuk, celebrated the funeral for the victims.
The ceremony was attended by "the highest local authorities, and
many Muslims," who demonstrated their "repugnance" for the new
episodes of violence. Sources for AsiaNews speak of an
"execution" with a "confessional" backdrop.
Kirkuk (AsiaNews) - Iraqi Christians are again in
the sights of the Islamic fundamentalists. At 7:30 yesterday
evening in Kirkuk, an armed commando brigade stormed two
Christian homes, killing three people in cold blood. Yussef Saba,
an employee of the Northern Oil Company, was killed in the first
attack; the brigade also wounded two relatives of the victim,
Bassel and Samer, who do not seem to have been seriously
injured. Seven minutes later, the group broke into a second
house, killing two women: Munna Dauod and Susan Latif.
Iraqi Christians urged not to flee after
killings
Mon Apr 27, 2009 6:21pm BST
By Mustafa Mahmoud
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Christians in Kirkuk were urged to stand
firm by the city's Chaldean archbishop Monday after three
members of the religious minority were gunned down in their
homes.Louis Sako told mourners at a cathedral in the ethnically
mixed city that the attacks Sunday killing three Christians and
wounding two others were outrageous.
Five Christians killed as Kirkuk archbishop
questions US withdrawal
IRAQ0 4/06/2009 15:16
Monsignor Sako warns
that US troop pullout is likely to plunge the country in a
“civil war.” Between 31 March and 4 April five Christians are
murdered in Kirkuk, Baghdad and Mosul. The prelate calls on the
faithful to pray during Holy Week so “that the blood of our
martyrs may restore peace.”
Kirkuk (AsiaNews) – The US
troop pullout is creating a “vacuum’ that could end up in “civil
war” and “Iraq’s division”, said Mgr Louis Sako, archbishop of
Kirkuk, as he confirmed the death of five Iraqi Christians
killed in late March and early April.
Iraq’s “ethnic and religious groups
have not become truly reconciled and the security situation
remains fragile,” the archbishop said. “The Army and local
police are not able to maintain law and order in the country,”
he added. For this reason, the departure of US troops could
“lead to further violence,” a view made the more cogent by the
recent spate of killings in the Christian community
Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Kirkuk Louis Sako,
lamenting the number of Iraqi Christians who have
been murdered or driven into exile by persecution,
has said that the Christian community possesses
“great hope” amid the “tragedy” of its
circumstances. A total of 750 Christians have been
murdered in the past five years, including
Archbishop of Mosul Paulos Faraj Rahho, Archbishop
Sako told a press conference convened by the
charities Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Pro
Oriente and Christian Solidarity International.
Kirkuk, Christians and Muslims pray for Msgr. Rahho and for all
Iraqi Martyrs by Louis Sako*
IRAQ»03/13/2009
09:46
Today is
the first anniversary of the kidnap and death of the Archbishop
of Mosul. The local community has crowded into the churches to
honour the prelate’s memory. Muslim representatives also take
part in the commemoration. The Archbishop of Kirkuk: Over 700
killed, including children. The blood of Iraqi martyrs is an
invitation to “national cooperation and reconciliation”.
Kirkuk(AsiaNews)
–Today Iraq
marks the first anniversary of the death of Paulo Faraj Rahho,
the Chaldean Archbishop of Mosul. Mass was also held in Kirkuk
this morning celebrated by Archbishop Louis Sako, who recalled
the “martyrdom of the bishop of Mosul” in his homily as well as
the “long list of Iraqi Christian martyrs”. Muslim
representatives also participated in the ceremony in a sign of
solidarity with “the Christian community”.
An Iraqi Christian woman stands in
line at a polling center in Bartillah, 14 kilometers (8
miles) east of Mosul, Iraq, Saturday, Jan. 31, 2009. AP
Photo
The Kurdish Globe
Iraqi Christians continue to flee Iraq to
bordering countries - and Lebanon
Many Christian families have already left
Iraq for the neighbouring countries; thousands fled the violence
in Mosul last year and took refuge in Kurdistan Region. As
Globe's Rafael Thelen reports, Christian communities in Iraq,
especially in volatile regions like Kirkuk and Mosul do still
feel unsafe and continue to leave a country that has been their
home for centuries.
Panel participants appealed for support of the
"continuing
presence of Christians in the region and their efforts to
live and prosper in peace."
Symposium on the Needs of Mideast Christians
05/03/2009:
SOUTHFIELD, Michigan (Zenit) - Archbishop Celestino Migliore
addressed a symposium on Christianity in the Middle East,
which met to discuss ways of supporting these dwindling
communities. The archbishop, permanent observer of the Holy
See to the United Nations, noted, "There in the Middle East
exists not only the history of salvation, but also the
geography of salvation."
Friday, February 27, 2009 8:28 AM By: Kenneth R. Timmerman
Beirut, Lebanon – Christians continue to flee Iraq because of
religious persecution, even as some Iraqi church leaders are
calling on their compatriots to return home.
The church leaders fear that Iraq will become emptied of
Christians if the mass exodus continues, leading some of them to
issue calls to return that have angered refugees.
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The need to find ways to stop the slow,
yet steady departure of Christians from the Middle East has come
into greater focus recently.
Iraq: Christian leader warns against security "vacuum"
Rome, 23 Feb. (AKI)
- A prominent Iraqi archbishop on Monday warned foreign
leaders against creating "a security vacuum" when allied
troops withdraw from Iraq. "In Iraq it is important not to
create a security vacuum also in regard to the process of
reconstruction," said Jean Benjamin Sleiman, the Latin-rite
archbishop of Baghdad.
Sunday, February 22, 2009 8:14 PM By: Kenneth R. Timmerman
Beirut, Lebanon – At an unusual conclave held just outside of
Beirut on Thursday, some two dozen bishops from the splintered
churches of the Middle East gathered in a show of unity for the
embattled Christians of Iraq
Christians have a role to play in rebuilding Iraq, church
leaders say
Representatives of churches in Iraq confirmed their commitment
to work together with all Iraqi citizens for reconciliation and
rebuilding peace in the country.
More
attacks against Christians in Mosul
Christian student kidnapped by Islamic group in Mosul
Mosul
attacks on two Christian churches, three dead and several
injured
In
the Iraq war, Christians pushed to the brink
No
Christmas festivities in Basra because of Ashura
Another
targeted killing against Mosul’s Christian community
A
policy of “ethnic cleansing” against Christians under way in
Mosul, Mgr Sako says
Office
of Chaldean patriarch hit by brutal attacks in Iraq
Mosul,
two Christian brothers killed. 
Mosul:
Christian buildings attacked, Church of Saint Ephrem levelled
.
Archbishop
of Baghdad encourages Iraqi Christians to maintain hope
Iraqi bishop says bomb explosion came after
prayers for peace at Mass 
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