ASIA/IRAQ - A Catholic priest and three deacons assassinated in Iraq

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)