Pope expresses concern for Iraqi Christians after two terror attacks

Pope expresses concern for Iraqi Christians after two terror attacks
By Carol Glatz, Catholic News Service

Catholic News Service
Dec 8 2004

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope John Paul II expressed his concern for
Christians in Iraq after terrorists made fresh attacks on two Christian
sites in the northern city of Mosul.

After praying the Angelus to the faithful gathered in St. Peter's
Square Dec. 8, the pope conveyed his "spiritual closeness to the
faithful, shaken by the attack."

An Armenian Catholic church and the Chaldean Catholic bishop's
residence were destroyed Dec. 7 in two separate bomb attacks in Mosul.

The pope prayed for the intercession of the Virgin Mary to help "the
beloved Iraqi people" experience "a time of reconciliation and peace."

In Mosul, an armed group of commandos stormed the Armenian Catholic
church at 2:30 p.m. Witnesses said the attackers ushered everyone out
of the church, then detonated two bombs, leaving the church in ruins.


About two hours later, another group of armed men attacked the
Chaldean bishop's residence in another part of the city. The men
ordered people in the building out before setting off explosives,
which engulfed the residence in flames.

No one was killed or injured in the two attacks, according to news
reports.

Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel-Karim Delly of Baghdad lamented the fresh
violence and warned that local Christians were becoming "increasingly
worried that they will be targets of such acts of violence."

"Christians are worried about this kind of violence happening over
and over again," he said in a Dec. 7 interview with Asianews, an
Italian-based missionary news agency.

He said the "Iraqi government is impotent to prevent such acts."

"I hope Our Lady will give us the courage to continue on our path,"
he said.

Numerous Christian sites, especially churches, have been the targets
of terrorist bombings in Iraq.

As a result, Christians have fled Iraq by the thousands over the last
three months, usually driving to Syria or Jordan. The exact number
of those who have left is unknown, but Syrian media say up to 70,000
Iraqi Christians now live in Syria.

The apostolic nuncio to Baghdad called the Dec. 7 bombings "grave and
cowardly acts against defenseless Christian symbols and institutions."

Speaking to Asianews, the nuncio, Archbishop Fernando Filoni, said the
Chaldean bishop's residence "had been receiving threats for some time."

The nuncio said terrorists had promised "they would destroy a church
for every mosque that was attacked" by U.S.-led forces in Iraq.

Behind these assaults against Christians lies "an exasperated violence
that strikes those who are defenseless," he said.

The archbishop told Asianews he did not believe there was a link
between the Dec. 7 bombings and the season of Advent. He said he
thought the attackers "just want to do harm."

The destroyed Armenian church in Mosul had been in the final stages
of construction. It was to be officially consecrated Christmas Day.

Reducing the new church to rubble shows "how little respect terrorists
have for people and holy places," Archbishop Filoni said.