Al Qaeda Blamed For Bishop's Death; Kidnappers Demanded One Million Ransom
Kidnappers of Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho, who was found dead in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, demanded a $1 million ransom as part of an operation blamed on the al Qaeda terror network, police said Friday, March 14.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Al Qaeda Blamed For Bishop's Death; Kidnappers Demanded One Million Ransom
Showing posts with label christians of iraq. Show all posts
Showing posts with label christians of iraq. Show all posts
Friday, March 14, 2008
DAR AL ISLAM-IRAQ: CHALDEAN ARCHBISHOP OF MOSUL BURIED ON FRIDAY
Thousands attend funeral of kidnapped Chaldean archbishop
Thousands of people attended the funeral of the kidnapped Chaldean archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho in the northern Iraqi Christian village of Kremlis on Friday. Rahho was kidnapped on 29 February after leaving his church in a shootout that led to the deaths of his driver and two bodyguards. His body was found in a shallow grave on Thursday in Kremlis, which lies about 28 kilometres east of Mosul.According to the Voices of Iraq news agency, the funeral began on Friday morning and ended in the afternoon. After the service, the coffin bearing Rahho's body was lowered into a crypt at the back of the Mar Aada church in Kremlis.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Thousands attend funeral of kidnapped Chaldean archbishop
Thousands of people attended the funeral of the kidnapped Chaldean archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho in the northern Iraqi Christian village of Kremlis on Friday. Rahho was kidnapped on 29 February after leaving his church in a shootout that led to the deaths of his driver and two bodyguards. His body was found in a shallow grave on Thursday in Kremlis, which lies about 28 kilometres east of Mosul.According to the Voices of Iraq news agency, the funeral began on Friday morning and ended in the afternoon. After the service, the coffin bearing Rahho's body was lowered into a crypt at the back of the Mar Aada church in Kremlis.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Thousands attend funeral of kidnapped Chaldean archbishop
DAR AL ISLAM-IRAQ: THE CHALDEAN ARCHBISHOP OF MOSUL IS DEAD - - - ISLAM, 'THE RELIGION OF PEACE' IS RESPONSIBLE
The archbishop of Mosul is dead
Bishop of Arbil: "A heavy Cross for our Church, ahead of Easter". The cause of death is still unknown. The pope's expression of sorrow.
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The difficult negotiations for his release carried forward over the past 14 days of his kidnapping had immediately raised concern because of the total absence of direct contact with the hostage. The conditions posed by the kidnappers - sources in Mosul tell AsiaNews - in addition to an outrageous ransom on the order of millions of dollars, had also included the provision of weapons and the liberation of Arab prisoners held in Kurdish prisons.
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The blood tribute of the diocese of Mosul
With the killing of Archbishop Rahho, the Sunni stronghold confirms its place as the most dangerous area for the Christian community. According to an autopsy, the bishop has been dead for five days. In 2007 alone, 47 Christians were killed in Iraq.
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Pertinent Links:
1) The archbishop of Mosul is dead
2) The blood tribute of the diocese of Mosul
Bishop of Arbil: "A heavy Cross for our Church, ahead of Easter". The cause of death is still unknown. The pope's expression of sorrow.
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The difficult negotiations for his release carried forward over the past 14 days of his kidnapping had immediately raised concern because of the total absence of direct contact with the hostage. The conditions posed by the kidnappers - sources in Mosul tell AsiaNews - in addition to an outrageous ransom on the order of millions of dollars, had also included the provision of weapons and the liberation of Arab prisoners held in Kurdish prisons.
...
and
The blood tribute of the diocese of Mosul
With the killing of Archbishop Rahho, the Sunni stronghold confirms its place as the most dangerous area for the Christian community. According to an autopsy, the bishop has been dead for five days. In 2007 alone, 47 Christians were killed in Iraq.
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Pertinent Links:
1) The archbishop of Mosul is dead
2) The blood tribute of the diocese of Mosul
Saturday, March 01, 2008
DAR AL ISLAM-IRAQ: 3 CHRISTIAN, 2 BODYGUARDS & 1 DRIVER, WERE KILLED DURING THE KIDNAPPING OF THE CHALDEAN BISHOP OF MOSUL
Three Christians killed in kidnapping of Mosul bishop buried in Karamles
The funerals were held this morning for the driver and two bodyguards. The same city also holds the tomb of Fr Ragheed, killed last year in the area where Archbishop Rahho was kidnapped yesterday. Sources in Iraq speak of "signs that leave hope that he may be alive". The appeal of the pope and the apprehension of the faithful and the patriarchate: the bishop is sick and needs his medicines.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Three Christians killed in kidnapping of Mosul bishop buried in Karamles
The funerals were held this morning for the driver and two bodyguards. The same city also holds the tomb of Fr Ragheed, killed last year in the area where Archbishop Rahho was kidnapped yesterday. Sources in Iraq speak of "signs that leave hope that he may be alive". The appeal of the pope and the apprehension of the faithful and the patriarchate: the bishop is sick and needs his medicines.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Three Christians killed in kidnapping of Mosul bishop buried in Karamles
Friday, February 29, 2008
DAR AL ISLAM-IRAQ: CHALDEAN BISHOP OF MOSUL, KIDNAPPED
Chaldean bishop of Mosul is kidnapped
Mosul, 29 Feb. (AKI) - Paulos Faraj Rahho, the Chaldean bishop of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul was kidnapped on Friday after he finished celebrating the rite of the Via Crucis at a local church.
Eyewitnesses said that a group of armed men stopped the bishop as he was travelling in his car and took him by force.
Adnkronos International (AKI) confirmed the kidnapping with the Mosul diocese.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Chaldean bishop of Mosul is kidnapped
Mosul, 29 Feb. (AKI) - Paulos Faraj Rahho, the Chaldean bishop of the northern Iraqi city of Mosul was kidnapped on Friday after he finished celebrating the rite of the Via Crucis at a local church.
Eyewitnesses said that a group of armed men stopped the bishop as he was travelling in his car and took him by force.
Adnkronos International (AKI) confirmed the kidnapping with the Mosul diocese.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Chaldean bishop of Mosul is kidnapped
Wednesday, August 08, 2007
DAR AL HARB/ISLAM - U.S.A./IRAQ: A PREMATURE WITHDRAWAL OF U.S. TROOPS FROM IRAQ MAY MEAN THE EXTINCTION OF CHRISTIANS IN IRAQ
Withdrawal US Troops Could Lead To "Extermination Iraqi Christians", Group Warns
BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON (BosNewsLife)-- An influential US-based network of conservative, religious and disability groups warned Wednesday, August 8, that a premature withdrawal of American troops could lead to "the extermination of Christians and Christianity in Iraq."
Delegates of the Christian Defense Coalition (CDC) who visited Iraq to pray and speak with government officials said in a statement that "America cannot allow 2,000 years of Christianity to be exterminated from Iraq" and that "religious liberty must be protected" for all faiths and traditions.
"Perhaps the most emotional and moving moment of our recent trip to Baghdad was when our delegation met with Iraqi Christian leaders," added CDC Director Reverend Patrick J. Mahoney in a statement monitored by BosNewsLife.
"When asked, what would happen if American troops would leave early? Their response was powerful and chilling. The Christian leaders simply said, "If the Americans would withdraw early, it would lead to the extermination of Christians and Christianity in Iraq." In one of the latest incidents, Christians have been crucified in Iraq by insurgents and suspected Muslim militants, BosNewsLife reported last month following an investigation by Dutch politicians.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Withdrawal US Troops Could Lead To "Extermination Iraqi Christians", Group Warns
BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON (BosNewsLife)-- An influential US-based network of conservative, religious and disability groups warned Wednesday, August 8, that a premature withdrawal of American troops could lead to "the extermination of Christians and Christianity in Iraq."
Delegates of the Christian Defense Coalition (CDC) who visited Iraq to pray and speak with government officials said in a statement that "America cannot allow 2,000 years of Christianity to be exterminated from Iraq" and that "religious liberty must be protected" for all faiths and traditions.
"Perhaps the most emotional and moving moment of our recent trip to Baghdad was when our delegation met with Iraqi Christian leaders," added CDC Director Reverend Patrick J. Mahoney in a statement monitored by BosNewsLife.
"When asked, what would happen if American troops would leave early? Their response was powerful and chilling. The Christian leaders simply said, "If the Americans would withdraw early, it would lead to the extermination of Christians and Christianity in Iraq." In one of the latest incidents, Christians have been crucified in Iraq by insurgents and suspected Muslim militants, BosNewsLife reported last month following an investigation by Dutch politicians.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Withdrawal US Troops Could Lead To "Extermination Iraqi Christians", Group Warns
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
DAR AL ISLAM - IRAQ: THE JIHAD CONTINUES AGAINST IRAQI CHRISTIANS - THE UNITED STATES CONTINUES LOOKING THE OTHER WAY
Mosul, "focal point" of Wahabi extremism in Iraq
Iraqi sources warn: the city is in the hands of rigid Sunni fundamentalists, who aim for an Islamic State; Christians and Shiites, find no space while the “kidnapping industry” gathers pace. The family of a kidnapped Chaldean has already paid a ransom twice over, but there is still no trace of the hostage.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Mosul, "focal point" of Wahabi extremism in Iraq
Iraqi sources warn: the city is in the hands of rigid Sunni fundamentalists, who aim for an Islamic State; Christians and Shiites, find no space while the “kidnapping industry” gathers pace. The family of a kidnapped Chaldean has already paid a ransom twice over, but there is still no trace of the hostage.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Mosul, "focal point" of Wahabi extremism in Iraq
Monday, July 09, 2007
DAR AL ISLAM - IRAQ: "I WILL CONTINUE THE WORK OF FATHER RAGHEED"
New priest for Mosul, first communions in Baghdad
A new Chaldean priest was ordained over the weekend in the diocese of Mosul: “I will continue the work of Fr Ragheed”. In Baghdad, 59 Syrian-Catholic children received their first Holy Communion. The bishop: “Cede not to the threats of evildoers.”
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Pertinent Links:
1) New priest for Mosul, first communions in Baghdad
A new Chaldean priest was ordained over the weekend in the diocese of Mosul: “I will continue the work of Fr Ragheed”. In Baghdad, 59 Syrian-Catholic children received their first Holy Communion. The bishop: “Cede not to the threats of evildoers.”
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Pertinent Links:
1) New priest for Mosul, first communions in Baghdad
Tuesday, July 03, 2007
DAR AL ISLAM - IRAQ: CHRISTIANS OF IRAQ URGE THE VATICAN TO CONVENE A NEW SYNOD
Chaldean bishops appeal for unity in the Church and the country, reject latest synod
Northern prelates release joint statement in which they stress the top challenges facing the Christian community, namely security, emigration, education and pastoral care for refugees. They call on the Vatican to cancel the last synod because of its disappointing results and convene a new one in Rome. They urge all Iraqis to engage in real reconciliation and reiterate their opposition to the Nineveh Plains project.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Chaldean bishops appeal for unity in the Church and the country, reject latest synod
Northern prelates release joint statement in which they stress the top challenges facing the Christian community, namely security, emigration, education and pastoral care for refugees. They call on the Vatican to cancel the last synod because of its disappointing results and convene a new one in Rome. They urge all Iraqis to engage in real reconciliation and reiterate their opposition to the Nineveh Plains project.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Chaldean bishops appeal for unity in the Church and the country, reject latest synod
Thursday, June 28, 2007
DAR AL ISLAM - IRAQ: OPEN SEASON ON CHRISTIAN IN IRAQ...WHAT ARE U.S. FORCES DOING TO HELP THEM?!? OHHH LOOKING THE OTHER WAY BEING NEUTRAL...
IRAQ: CHRISTIANS TARGETED IN BAGHDAD
Syrian Catholic policeman murdered, Chaldean home bombed.
ISTANBUL, June 27 (Compass Direct News) – For one man, the release of eight kidnapped Christians from his hometown of Qaraqosh on Friday (June 22) was bittersweet.
Ten days prior, his own brother-in-law, Fouad Salim, had not been so fortunate when militants killed him in Baghdad as he left his work at a police station in Razaliyah.
“It was because of his religion,” said the Syrian Catholic, who asked to remain anonymous. “They asked him to be Islamicized [convert to Islam], and when he refused they killed him.”
Salim, 32, left behind a wife and two children, a 5-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter.
Like many of the 50,000 Iraqis displaced by violence each month, according to the United Nations, they have fled to Iraq’s relatively stable northern region. There they live with relatives in the village of Qaraqosh, 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Mosul.
But recent kidnappings and murders of Christians in and around Mosul, as well as the skyrocketing cost of living, make the north less than appealing for many. Most difficult are the painful memories that each migrant from the south carries with them.
“I’m not gong to stay in Iraq, because Iraq is the land of death,” Salim’s wife, still in shock, told her relatives when she arrived in Qaraqosh.
Salim’s family believes he was murdered by Shiite militants within the police force. Before his death, he had confided to his family that he was receiving anonymous threats that he would be killed if he refused to convert.
He suspected the threats came from radical colleagues.
Fleeing Bombs
Salim’s story is one of a growing number of incidents of persecution against Christians reported from Baghdad in recent months.
In a Baghdad neighborhood that once held 50 Christian families, the remaining two were forced to flee after their car was bombed over two weeks ago.
A middle-aged Chaldean couple from Hai Al-Jamiyah district told Compass that they were forced to leave home with only the clothes on their backs when militants planted a sound bomb beside their car. Area residents spoke of how Christians should leave the area, said the couple, whose own children and grandson left two months prior.
The husband and wife said that even though local militias had not demanded that they pay jizya, an Islamic tax exacted from non-Muslims under Muslim rule, they felt their lives were threatened all the same. After their car was bombed, they said that armed gunmen had forced them to leave home without any of their possessions.
Christian Iraqi website Ankawa.com reported on June 17 that militants in Baghdad’s Amariyah district had set off a bomb in the garden of a Christian home, forcing the family to leave.
On June 20, the website said that another four families from Sayedia were forced to flee their homes after militants threatened them with consequences similar to those faced by Christians in Baghdad’s Dora district.
A Sunni stronghold and fault-line between Sunni and Shiite militias, Dora has been almost emptied of its Christian population. In late March and early April, stories began to trickle out of the neighborhood that local Islamist groups were demanding that they convert to Islam or pay jizya. The only alternative was to leave.
“There’s about 30 percent of the city that needs work, like here in Dora and the surrounding areas,” U.S. Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno told The Associated Press on June 16 from Dora’s market. U.S. forces have worked to increase their presence in the district as part of campaign to regain control of the capital.
Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly strongly condemned U.S. forces in May after they had occupied the church’s seminary and college in Dora last April, though some church leaders felt troop presence would keep away looters. The buildings had stood empty since staff relocated classes to the northern village of Ankawa for security reasons.
Iraq’s increasing violence has precipitated a mass exodus, with some 2.2 million Iraqis now residing outside the country and another 2 million internally displaced, according to a June 5 U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) briefing in Geneva.
UNHCR figures from Syria and Jordan last year showed that an exceptionally high percentage of refugees are Christians, though the group only constitutes 3 percent of the country’s population.
“Particularly in Iraq … Christian families and communities are feeling increasing pressure from insecurity, aggression and a sense of abandonment,” Pope Benedict XVI said on Thursday (June 21), a day after calling on Christians to offer hospitality to refugees.
“The number of the refugees is being increased because of the threats and the atrocities,” Salim’s brother-in-law told Compass from Qaraqosh. “We need the international conscience to pay attention to the Christians in Iraq.”
Pertinent Links:
1) IRAQ: CHRISTIANS TARGETED IN BAGHDAD
Syrian Catholic policeman murdered, Chaldean home bombed.
ISTANBUL, June 27 (Compass Direct News) – For one man, the release of eight kidnapped Christians from his hometown of Qaraqosh on Friday (June 22) was bittersweet.
Ten days prior, his own brother-in-law, Fouad Salim, had not been so fortunate when militants killed him in Baghdad as he left his work at a police station in Razaliyah.
“It was because of his religion,” said the Syrian Catholic, who asked to remain anonymous. “They asked him to be Islamicized [convert to Islam], and when he refused they killed him.”
Salim, 32, left behind a wife and two children, a 5-year-old son and a 2-year-old daughter.
Like many of the 50,000 Iraqis displaced by violence each month, according to the United Nations, they have fled to Iraq’s relatively stable northern region. There they live with relatives in the village of Qaraqosh, 30 kilometers (19 miles) from Mosul.
But recent kidnappings and murders of Christians in and around Mosul, as well as the skyrocketing cost of living, make the north less than appealing for many. Most difficult are the painful memories that each migrant from the south carries with them.
“I’m not gong to stay in Iraq, because Iraq is the land of death,” Salim’s wife, still in shock, told her relatives when she arrived in Qaraqosh.
Salim’s family believes he was murdered by Shiite militants within the police force. Before his death, he had confided to his family that he was receiving anonymous threats that he would be killed if he refused to convert.
He suspected the threats came from radical colleagues.
Fleeing Bombs
Salim’s story is one of a growing number of incidents of persecution against Christians reported from Baghdad in recent months.
In a Baghdad neighborhood that once held 50 Christian families, the remaining two were forced to flee after their car was bombed over two weeks ago.
A middle-aged Chaldean couple from Hai Al-Jamiyah district told Compass that they were forced to leave home with only the clothes on their backs when militants planted a sound bomb beside their car. Area residents spoke of how Christians should leave the area, said the couple, whose own children and grandson left two months prior.
The husband and wife said that even though local militias had not demanded that they pay jizya, an Islamic tax exacted from non-Muslims under Muslim rule, they felt their lives were threatened all the same. After their car was bombed, they said that armed gunmen had forced them to leave home without any of their possessions.
Christian Iraqi website Ankawa.com reported on June 17 that militants in Baghdad’s Amariyah district had set off a bomb in the garden of a Christian home, forcing the family to leave.
On June 20, the website said that another four families from Sayedia were forced to flee their homes after militants threatened them with consequences similar to those faced by Christians in Baghdad’s Dora district.
A Sunni stronghold and fault-line between Sunni and Shiite militias, Dora has been almost emptied of its Christian population. In late March and early April, stories began to trickle out of the neighborhood that local Islamist groups were demanding that they convert to Islam or pay jizya. The only alternative was to leave.
“There’s about 30 percent of the city that needs work, like here in Dora and the surrounding areas,” U.S. Lt. Gen. Raymond Odierno told The Associated Press on June 16 from Dora’s market. U.S. forces have worked to increase their presence in the district as part of campaign to regain control of the capital.
Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly strongly condemned U.S. forces in May after they had occupied the church’s seminary and college in Dora last April, though some church leaders felt troop presence would keep away looters. The buildings had stood empty since staff relocated classes to the northern village of Ankawa for security reasons.
Iraq’s increasing violence has precipitated a mass exodus, with some 2.2 million Iraqis now residing outside the country and another 2 million internally displaced, according to a June 5 U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) briefing in Geneva.
UNHCR figures from Syria and Jordan last year showed that an exceptionally high percentage of refugees are Christians, though the group only constitutes 3 percent of the country’s population.
“Particularly in Iraq … Christian families and communities are feeling increasing pressure from insecurity, aggression and a sense of abandonment,” Pope Benedict XVI said on Thursday (June 21), a day after calling on Christians to offer hospitality to refugees.
“The number of the refugees is being increased because of the threats and the atrocities,” Salim’s brother-in-law told Compass from Qaraqosh. “We need the international conscience to pay attention to the Christians in Iraq.”
Pertinent Links:
1) IRAQ: CHRISTIANS TARGETED IN BAGHDAD
DAR AL ISLAM - IRAQ: TWO CHRISTIAN MEN KILLED IN MOSUL
Two more Christians killed in an attack in Mosul
The victims are two Assyrian men from the National Union of Beth Nahrin. Persecution of Iraqi Christians continues in order to prevent them from taking part in the political process.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Two more Christians killed in an attack in Mosul
The victims are two Assyrian men from the National Union of Beth Nahrin. Persecution of Iraqi Christians continues in order to prevent them from taking part in the political process.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Two more Christians killed in an attack in Mosul
Tuesday, June 26, 2007
DAR AL ISLAM - IRAQ: DHIMMIS IN IRAQ TOW THE DHIMMI LINE
In Iraq Christians want to rebuild the nation together with their “Muslim brothers”
by Saad Hanna Sirop*P.
Saad Hanna Sirop, one of the first Chaldean priests to have been abducted in Baghdad and ex director of the Babel College, reiterates that the persecution underway in Iraq is not exclusive to Christians, but also targets Shiites and Sunnis. The priest’s observations come in the wake of the Chaldean Churches unanimous rejection of the Nineveh Plains project. There is a need to avoid sectarian and divisive declarations, and to promote “universal action for the common good of the country, which is the patrimony of all humanity”.
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Pertinent Links:
1) In Iraq Christians want to rebuild the nation together with their “Muslim brothers”
by Saad Hanna Sirop*P.
Saad Hanna Sirop, one of the first Chaldean priests to have been abducted in Baghdad and ex director of the Babel College, reiterates that the persecution underway in Iraq is not exclusive to Christians, but also targets Shiites and Sunnis. The priest’s observations come in the wake of the Chaldean Churches unanimous rejection of the Nineveh Plains project. There is a need to avoid sectarian and divisive declarations, and to promote “universal action for the common good of the country, which is the patrimony of all humanity”.
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Pertinent Links:
1) In Iraq Christians want to rebuild the nation together with their “Muslim brothers”
Friday, June 15, 2007
DAR AL ISLAM - IRAQ: THE PERSECUTION OF CHRISTIANS IN IRAQ CONTINUES - - - THE RELIGION OF PEACE & TOLERANCE IN ACTION
Baghdad: more than a thousand Christian families forced to flee home
Escape is the only alternative to the threats made by Islamic militias against those who refuse to convert, pay “taxes” or give a daughter in matrimony to a Muslim, this according to ‘Portes ouvertes’, an NGO dedicated to persecuted Churches.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Baghdad: more than a thousand Christian families forced to flee home
Escape is the only alternative to the threats made by Islamic militias against those who refuse to convert, pay “taxes” or give a daughter in matrimony to a Muslim, this according to ‘Portes ouvertes’, an NGO dedicated to persecuted Churches.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Baghdad: more than a thousand Christian families forced to flee home
DAR AL ISLAM - IRAQ: THE MOST URGENT NEEDS OF CHRISTIANS OF IRAQ
Iraqi Christians’ most urgent needs according to a Chaldean priest
by Bashar M. Warda, CSsR*
As a result of ongoing violence, persecution and the forced exodus of Christians, Churches are re-structuring their pastoral activities to cope with new challenges that range from spiritual assistance, help to the poor and fighting corruption. Christian leaders must make a common front in dealing with the state, international coalition forces and terrorism.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Iraqi Christians’ most urgent needs according to a Chaldean priest
by Bashar M. Warda, CSsR*
As a result of ongoing violence, persecution and the forced exodus of Christians, Churches are re-structuring their pastoral activities to cope with new challenges that range from spiritual assistance, help to the poor and fighting corruption. Christian leaders must make a common front in dealing with the state, international coalition forces and terrorism.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Iraqi Christians’ most urgent needs according to a Chaldean priest
DAR AL HARB/ISLAM - ITALY/IRAQ: ITALIAN SENATORS CALL ON THE ITALIAN GOVERNMENT TO HELP THE CHRISTIANS OF IRAQ
Question presented to Italian Senate about fate of Christians in Iraq
Fifty-four opposition senators call on the government to take action to prevent further persecution and ghettoisation of Christians, sorely tried by the martyrdom of Fr Ragheed Ganni.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Question presented to Italian Senate about fate of Christians in Iraq
2) Christians of Iraq
Fifty-four opposition senators call on the government to take action to prevent further persecution and ghettoisation of Christians, sorely tried by the martyrdom of Fr Ragheed Ganni.
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Pertinent Links:
1) Question presented to Italian Senate about fate of Christians in Iraq
2) Christians of Iraq
Thursday, June 14, 2007
DAR AL ISLAM - IRAQ: THE 'MULTI-NATIONAL FORCES' (READ THAT AS AMERICANS) TURN THEIR HEADS IN ORDER NOT TO WITNESS THE PLIGHT OF CHRISTIANS IN IRAQ
VICAR DENOUNCES CALVARY OF CHRISTIANS
Baghdad, 14 June (AKI) - The Iraqi government and the multinational forces are responsible for what is happening to the Christian families in Iraq, the vicar of the Chaldean Catholic church patriarch Shlimon Warduni denounced on Thursday. "There are various armed groups which are putting pressure on Christian families trying to force them to abandon their faith and embrace Islam," he told Adnkronos International (AKI) in an interview.
"Thousands of Christian families have been forced to emigrate from their original areas following threats that they would be killed if they did not renounce Christianity," Warduni added.
"Even though we have knocked on all doors and appealed to the government and to religious leaders of all faiths, we have heard only kindly words but in reality not a thing has been done. In fact the situation is worsening," the vicar complained.
Over the past two months, thousands of families have left their homes, and according to frequent reports "many of these homes have been raided and occupied by armed gangs," he said. "All this happens while the security forces look on idly," Warduni said.
Edmond Yuhanna, a member of the Socialist Movement in Iraq told AKI that "the trafic situation in which many Christian families in Iraq live is no longer a secret for anyone," highlighting that they are subject to "the most grotesque provocations and pressures to give up their faith or to pay a tax." According to Yuhanna, "these operations, organied by armed gangs, serve the interests of the al-Qaeda network."
"What is really shocking is that the government and the multinational forces take absolutely no responsibility for ensuring the safety of these families, despite the appeals and requests of Christian members of parliament."
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And again:
Who Are Christians of Iraq?
Most people think of the Middle East as mostly Arab and Moslem but it is not the case. Before the seventh century invasion of the Middle East by Moslem Arabs the predominant population of Mesopotamia (today's Iraq), Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon and Egypt was none Arab Christians. The growth of Islam in these countries was not due to a sudden influx of Arabs but gradual conversion to Islam by the native
population who later were termed Arabs. It was not until the eleventh century when Moslems became a majority in Iraq.
Early Assyrian Churches and Monasteries in northern Iraq
Christians of Iraq trace their ancestry to the ancient Assyrians and Baby- lonians.They are known by various names such as Assyrians, Chaldeans for those whobelong to the Chaldean-Church and Syriacs for the members of the SyrianOrthodox church. There is no specific statistics about the total population ofChristians in Iraq but they are estimated to be about one million .
During the relatively tolerant period of the Abassid Caliphate (758-1258) Assyrians scholars of both Nestorian and Jacobite denominations contributed greatly to the advancement of the Islamic civilization by translating the available knowledge form the Syriac and the Greek languages into the Arabic. This usheredan era which is known as the "Golden Age". The first directors of the "House of Wisdom"an institution specifically established by AI-Mamun in 830 AD to translate all the availableexisting knowledge including, medicine
philosophy, mathematics, astronomy and other sciences into the Arabic were Assyrians. To show the extent of the Assyrian contribution to educating the Arabs it suffices to say that from a hundred Galen's treaties ninety six were translated form the Syriac languagethe rest directly from the Greek. Many Greek books no longer existed in their nativelanguage. Yuhanna ibn Masswaya a physician and teacher was the first director of theHouse of Wisdom and the president of the first Arab University. He has been creditedwith having written nearly fifty works. His students were known to be well versed in logic and the writings of Galen. He conducted an assembly in Baghdad on regular basis known as "Majlis" which was a combination of lecture room and consulting hour where he saw patients, lectured his students and discussed scientific topics for the benefit of the general public. One of his most famous students was Hunayn ibn-Isahq who became the second director of the House of the Wisdom.(Arab Civilization to AD 1,500", D. M. Dunlop, New York 1971 p.220)
Hunayn is considered to be the greatest and the most productive translator of all."According to Ibn-abi-Usahbi'ah he was the author of more than one hundred original works, but few of these are extant". (Whiple 27) He translated twenty books of Galen into Syriac, and fourteen treaties into Arabic. He revised sixteen translations made previously by Sergius of Ras al-'Ayn (Rish-Ayna). The Arab translators such as Khwarizmi, al-Kindi and al-l-Hajjaj, the first translator of Euclid's Elements, received their training from Hunayn, and Thabit beit Qurra.
Translation from the Syriac language to Arabic was so widespread that even the Nestorian Patriarch Timothy who was a good friend of al-Mehdi and his sons Musa, Harun and Ali is known to have translated the 'Topics of Aristotle' first from the Syriac in (782-3), later retranslated it from the Greek original with the help of the malikite Patriarch.Christian Doctors were famous for their extensive medical skills.
The Medical training and teaching facilities of Jundi Shapour designed, built, and managed by the Assyrian scholars was transferred to Baghdad. The Jundi Shapour Bimarestan became model for hospitals built in Baghdad, Damascus, Allepo and Cairo. (Whipple 28) The teaching and training of the Physicians was done in the hospital as it is presently the case inthe British Medical Schools. Ahamd Eisa gives a list of twelve physicians from Jundi Shapour practicing in Baghdad. (Whipple p.28)
Members of the Bakht-Eisho family served as court doctors for seven generations. The Beit Qarra family of Harran who were still practicing a corrupted form of the ancient Assyro-Babylonian religion contributed greatly to the Arab Knowledge of astronomy and mathematics. The rise of the Arabic as a language of education contributed to the decline of scholarship in the Syriac language.
The arrival of the Crusaders followed by the Mongols inflamed Moslem passions against the none Moslem communities. Because of continued massacres the Assyrians population gradually declined in number but survived mostly in the plain of Nineveh, Southeast Turkey, Mountains north of Mosul, and and northwest Iran.
Turkey's world war one massacres resulted in the death of 750,000. During Saddam's wars with the Kurds hundreds of Assyrian villages were destroyed their inhabitants were rendered homeless, driven out of their historic homeland, and scattered as refugees in large cities or the neighboring countries. dozens of ancient churches some dating to the early centuries of Christianity were bombed and turned into rubble. The teaching of the Syriac language was prohibited and Assyrians were forced to give their children Arabic names in an effort to undermine their true identity. Those who wished to hold governmental jobs had to sign ethnicity correction papers which declared them arabs.
The fall of Saddam which was hoped to bring peace to Iraq has unleashed religious violence against the Christian community in Iraq. Unless special attention is given to their plight by the US and the Iraqi government this ancient people will continue to suffer grievously as they have in the past.
Pertinent Links:
1) VICAR DENOUNCES CALVARY OF CHRISTIANS
2) Christians of Iraq
Baghdad, 14 June (AKI) - The Iraqi government and the multinational forces are responsible for what is happening to the Christian families in Iraq, the vicar of the Chaldean Catholic church patriarch Shlimon Warduni denounced on Thursday. "There are various armed groups which are putting pressure on Christian families trying to force them to abandon their faith and embrace Islam," he told Adnkronos International (AKI) in an interview.
"Thousands of Christian families have been forced to emigrate from their original areas following threats that they would be killed if they did not renounce Christianity," Warduni added.
"Even though we have knocked on all doors and appealed to the government and to religious leaders of all faiths, we have heard only kindly words but in reality not a thing has been done. In fact the situation is worsening," the vicar complained.
Over the past two months, thousands of families have left their homes, and according to frequent reports "many of these homes have been raided and occupied by armed gangs," he said. "All this happens while the security forces look on idly," Warduni said.
Edmond Yuhanna, a member of the Socialist Movement in Iraq told AKI that "the trafic situation in which many Christian families in Iraq live is no longer a secret for anyone," highlighting that they are subject to "the most grotesque provocations and pressures to give up their faith or to pay a tax." According to Yuhanna, "these operations, organied by armed gangs, serve the interests of the al-Qaeda network."
"What is really shocking is that the government and the multinational forces take absolutely no responsibility for ensuring the safety of these families, despite the appeals and requests of Christian members of parliament."
...
And again:
Who Are Christians of Iraq?
Most people think of the Middle East as mostly Arab and Moslem but it is not the case. Before the seventh century invasion of the Middle East by Moslem Arabs the predominant population of Mesopotamia (today's Iraq), Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon and Egypt was none Arab Christians. The growth of Islam in these countries was not due to a sudden influx of Arabs but gradual conversion to Islam by the native
population who later were termed Arabs. It was not until the eleventh century when Moslems became a majority in Iraq.
Early Assyrian Churches and Monasteries in northern Iraq
Christians of Iraq trace their ancestry to the ancient Assyrians and Baby- lonians.They are known by various names such as Assyrians, Chaldeans for those whobelong to the Chaldean-Church and Syriacs for the members of the SyrianOrthodox church. There is no specific statistics about the total population ofChristians in Iraq but they are estimated to be about one million .
During the relatively tolerant period of the Abassid Caliphate (758-1258) Assyrians scholars of both Nestorian and Jacobite denominations contributed greatly to the advancement of the Islamic civilization by translating the available knowledge form the Syriac and the Greek languages into the Arabic. This usheredan era which is known as the "Golden Age". The first directors of the "House of Wisdom"an institution specifically established by AI-Mamun in 830 AD to translate all the availableexisting knowledge including, medicine
philosophy, mathematics, astronomy and other sciences into the Arabic were Assyrians. To show the extent of the Assyrian contribution to educating the Arabs it suffices to say that from a hundred Galen's treaties ninety six were translated form the Syriac languagethe rest directly from the Greek. Many Greek books no longer existed in their nativelanguage. Yuhanna ibn Masswaya a physician and teacher was the first director of theHouse of Wisdom and the president of the first Arab University. He has been creditedwith having written nearly fifty works. His students were known to be well versed in logic and the writings of Galen. He conducted an assembly in Baghdad on regular basis known as "Majlis" which was a combination of lecture room and consulting hour where he saw patients, lectured his students and discussed scientific topics for the benefit of the general public. One of his most famous students was Hunayn ibn-Isahq who became the second director of the House of the Wisdom.(Arab Civilization to AD 1,500", D. M. Dunlop, New York 1971 p.220)
Hunayn is considered to be the greatest and the most productive translator of all."According to Ibn-abi-Usahbi'ah he was the author of more than one hundred original works, but few of these are extant". (Whiple 27) He translated twenty books of Galen into Syriac, and fourteen treaties into Arabic. He revised sixteen translations made previously by Sergius of Ras al-'Ayn (Rish-Ayna). The Arab translators such as Khwarizmi, al-Kindi and al-l-Hajjaj, the first translator of Euclid's Elements, received their training from Hunayn, and Thabit beit Qurra.
Translation from the Syriac language to Arabic was so widespread that even the Nestorian Patriarch Timothy who was a good friend of al-Mehdi and his sons Musa, Harun and Ali is known to have translated the 'Topics of Aristotle' first from the Syriac in (782-3), later retranslated it from the Greek original with the help of the malikite Patriarch.Christian Doctors were famous for their extensive medical skills.
The Medical training and teaching facilities of Jundi Shapour designed, built, and managed by the Assyrian scholars was transferred to Baghdad. The Jundi Shapour Bimarestan became model for hospitals built in Baghdad, Damascus, Allepo and Cairo. (Whipple 28) The teaching and training of the Physicians was done in the hospital as it is presently the case inthe British Medical Schools. Ahamd Eisa gives a list of twelve physicians from Jundi Shapour practicing in Baghdad. (Whipple p.28)
Members of the Bakht-Eisho family served as court doctors for seven generations. The Beit Qarra family of Harran who were still practicing a corrupted form of the ancient Assyro-Babylonian religion contributed greatly to the Arab Knowledge of astronomy and mathematics. The rise of the Arabic as a language of education contributed to the decline of scholarship in the Syriac language.
The arrival of the Crusaders followed by the Mongols inflamed Moslem passions against the none Moslem communities. Because of continued massacres the Assyrians population gradually declined in number but survived mostly in the plain of Nineveh, Southeast Turkey, Mountains north of Mosul, and and northwest Iran.
Turkey's world war one massacres resulted in the death of 750,000. During Saddam's wars with the Kurds hundreds of Assyrian villages were destroyed their inhabitants were rendered homeless, driven out of their historic homeland, and scattered as refugees in large cities or the neighboring countries. dozens of ancient churches some dating to the early centuries of Christianity were bombed and turned into rubble. The teaching of the Syriac language was prohibited and Assyrians were forced to give their children Arabic names in an effort to undermine their true identity. Those who wished to hold governmental jobs had to sign ethnicity correction papers which declared them arabs.
The fall of Saddam which was hoped to bring peace to Iraq has unleashed religious violence against the Christian community in Iraq. Unless special attention is given to their plight by the US and the Iraqi government this ancient people will continue to suffer grievously as they have in the past.
Pertinent Links:
1) VICAR DENOUNCES CALVARY OF CHRISTIANS
2) Christians of Iraq
Monday, June 11, 2007
DAR AL ISLAM - IRAQ: A MEETING BETWEEN OVERLORD AND DHIMMIS
Kirkuk: Muslims and Christians united for dialogue, only way to save Iraq
Sunnis and Shiites, tribal leaders, Kurds, Turkmen and Christians meet at luncheon organised by the city Chaldean archdiocese to fight those who would like to destroy peaceful coexistence between religions. Prime Minister al-Maliki’s spokesman says the government is opposed to the Nineveh Plains plan and the country’s division in ghettoes. Ayatollah al-Sistani receives Christian leaders and expressed his solidarity towards them.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Kirkuk: Muslims and Christians united for dialogue, only way to save Iraq
Sunnis and Shiites, tribal leaders, Kurds, Turkmen and Christians meet at luncheon organised by the city Chaldean archdiocese to fight those who would like to destroy peaceful coexistence between religions. Prime Minister al-Maliki’s spokesman says the government is opposed to the Nineveh Plains plan and the country’s division in ghettoes. Ayatollah al-Sistani receives Christian leaders and expressed his solidarity towards them.
...
Pertinent Links:
1) Kirkuk: Muslims and Christians united for dialogue, only way to save Iraq
Saturday, June 09, 2007
DAR AL ISLAM - IRAQ: CONVERT OR DIE
The killers of Fr. Ragheed and the three deacons wanted their conversion to Islam
New details emerge surrounding the assassination of the Chaldean priest and his three friends in Mosul. Sunni Islam’s highest authority in Iraq condemns the attacks against the Christians and lays “all blame at the door of the Government and occupying forces”. The Iraqi Ambassador to the Holy See on the Nineveh Plain project “we work to build greater unity, not barriers”.
...
Ahhh such tolerance, my goodness I am going to be overcome...
Father Ragheed & the three deacons were murdered on Sunday after mass...
As funeral services were held for Father Ragheed, "tolerant moslems" of Iraq attacked two churches, killed several men that guarded the churches against attacks and St. Jacob's in Hay al Asya was forcibly converted to a mosque...
Pertinent Links:
1) The killers of Fr. Ragheed and the three deacons wanted their conversion to Islam
New details emerge surrounding the assassination of the Chaldean priest and his three friends in Mosul. Sunni Islam’s highest authority in Iraq condemns the attacks against the Christians and lays “all blame at the door of the Government and occupying forces”. The Iraqi Ambassador to the Holy See on the Nineveh Plain project “we work to build greater unity, not barriers”.
...
Ahhh such tolerance, my goodness I am going to be overcome...
Father Ragheed & the three deacons were murdered on Sunday after mass...
As funeral services were held for Father Ragheed, "tolerant moslems" of Iraq attacked two churches, killed several men that guarded the churches against attacks and St. Jacob's in Hay al Asya was forcibly converted to a mosque...
Pertinent Links:
1) The killers of Fr. Ragheed and the three deacons wanted their conversion to Islam
DAR AL HARB - IRAQ: FATHER SIROP SPEAKS OUT AGAINST A 'CHRISTIAN GHETTO' ON THE NINIVEH PLAIN
Kidnapped Chaldean Priest : No to the Niniveh plain ethnic project
by Saad Hanna Sirop*
Opposition to the “Assyrian” ghetto to save Iraq’s persecuted Christians today finds a qualified representative: Fr. Saad Hanna Sirop, one of the first Chaldean priests to have been kidnapped in Baghdad, and for whose release Benedict XVI intervened. A victim of Iraq’s violent anti Christian persecution, he too views the idea of an ethnic-religious enclave as diametrically opposed to Iraq’s history and the purpose of evangelization. Moreover, Fr. Saad maintains that the project’s real aim is not protection of the Chaldean and Assyrian Christians, but to protect ambitious “personal and economic interests”.
...
Read it all...
To read more about the Niniveh Plain plan for a Christian ghetto, please visit my post of June 7th, titled:
by Saad Hanna Sirop*
Opposition to the “Assyrian” ghetto to save Iraq’s persecuted Christians today finds a qualified representative: Fr. Saad Hanna Sirop, one of the first Chaldean priests to have been kidnapped in Baghdad, and for whose release Benedict XVI intervened. A victim of Iraq’s violent anti Christian persecution, he too views the idea of an ethnic-religious enclave as diametrically opposed to Iraq’s history and the purpose of evangelization. Moreover, Fr. Saad maintains that the project’s real aim is not protection of the Chaldean and Assyrian Christians, but to protect ambitious “personal and economic interests”.
...
Read it all...
To read more about the Niniveh Plain plan for a Christian ghetto, please visit my post of June 7th, titled:
The Plight of Christians in Iraq, Amongst All Those "Tolerant Moslems" We are Told Exist
I am going to sound like a broken record, but why are Christians of Iraq so important to Westerners and specifically Christians of the West & actually Christians from around the world:
Who Are Christians of Iraq?
Most people think of the Middle East as mostly Arab and Moslem but it is not the case. Before the seventh century invasion of the Middle East by Moslem Arabs the predominant population of Mesopotamia (today's Iraq), Syria, Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon and Egypt was none Arab Christians. The growth of Islam in these countries was not due to a sudden influx of Arabs but gradual conversion to Islam by the native
population who later were termed Arabs. It was not until the eleventh century when Moslems became a majority in Iraq.
Christians of Iraq trace their ancestry to the ancient Assyrians and Baby- lonians.They are known by various names such as Assyrians, Chaldeans for those whobelong to the Chaldean-Church and Syriacs for the members of the SyrianOrthodox church. There is no specific statistics about the total population ofChristians in Iraq but they are estimated to be about one million .
During the relatively tolerant period of the Abassid Caliphate (758-1258) Assyrians scholars of both Nestorian and Jacobite denominations contributed greatly to the advancement of the Islamic civilization by translating the available knowledge form the Syriac and the Greek languages into the Arabic. This usheredan era which is known as the "Golden Age". The first directors of the "House of Wisdom"an institution specifically established by AI-Mamun in 830 AD to translate all the availableexisting knowledge including, medicine
philosophy, mathematics, astronomy and other sciences into the Arabic were Assyrians. To show the extent of the Assyrian contribution to educating the Arabs it suffices to say that from a hundred Galen's treaties ninety six were translated form the Syriac languagethe rest directly from the Greek. Many Greek books no longer existed in their nativelanguage. Yuhanna ibn Masswaya a physician and teacher was the first director of theHouse of Wisdom and the president of the first Arab University. He has been creditedwith having written nearly fifty works. His students were known to be well versed in logic and the writings of Galen. He conducted an assembly in Baghdad on regular basis known as "Majlis" which was a combination of lecture room and consulting hour where he saw patients, lectured his students and discussed scientific topics for the benefit of the general public. One of his most famous students was Hunayn ibn-Isahq who became the second director of the House of the Wisdom.(Arab Civilization to AD 1,500", D. M. Dunlop, New York 1971 p.220)
Hunayn is considered to be the greatest and the most productive translator of all."According to Ibn-abi-Usahbi'ah he was the author of more than one hundred original works, but few of these are extant". (Whiple 27) He translated twenty books of Galen into Syriac, and fourteen treaties into Arabic. He revised sixteen translations made previously by Sergius of Ras al-'Ayn (Rish-Ayna). The Arab translators such as Khwarizmi, al-Kindi and al-l-Hajjaj, the first translator of Euclid's Elements, received their training from Hunayn, and Thabit beit Qurra.
Translation from the Syriac language to Arabic was so widespread that even the Nestorian Patriarch Timothy who was a good friend of al-Mehdi and his sons Musa, Harun and Ali is known to have translated the 'Topics of Aristotle' first from the Syriac in (782-3), later retranslated it from the Greek original with the help of the malikite Patriarch.Christian Doctors were famous for their extensive medical skills.
The Medical training and teaching facilities of Jundi Shapour designed, built, and managed by the Assyrian scholars was transferred to Baghdad. The Jundi Shapour Bimarestan became model for hospitals built in Baghdad, Damascus, Allepo and Cairo. (Whipple 28) The teaching and training of the Physicians was done in the hospital as it is presently the case inthe British Medical Schools. Ahamd Eisa gives a list of twelve physicians from Jundi Shapour practicing in Baghdad. (Whipple p.28)
Members of the Bakht-Eisho family served as court doctors for seven generations. The Beit Qarra family of Harran who were still practicing a corrupted form of the ancient Assyro-Babylonian religion contributed greatly to the Arab Knowledge of astronomy and mathematics. The rise of the Arabic as a language of education contributed to the decline of scholarship in the Syriac language.
The arrival of the Crusaders followed by the Mongols inflamed Moslem passions against the none Moslem communities. Because of continued massacres the Assyrians population gradually declined in number but survived mostly in the plain of Nineveh, Southeast Turkey, Mountains north of Mosul, and and northwest Iran.
Turkey's world war one massacres resulted in the death of 750,000. During Saddam's wars with the Kurds hundreds of Assyrian villages were destroyed their inhabitants were rendered homeless, driven out of their historic homeland, and scattered as refugees in large cities or the neighboring countries. dozens of ancient churches some dating to the early centuries of Christianity were bombed and turned into rubble. The teaching of the Syriac language was prohibited and Assyrians were forced to give their children Arabic names in an effort to undermine their true identity. Those who wished to hold governmental jobs had to sign ethnicity correction papers which declared them arabs.
The fall of Saddam which was hoped to bring peace to Iraq has unleashed religious violence against the Christian community in Iraq. Unless special attention is given to their plight by the US and the Iraqi government this ancient people will continue to suffer grievously as they have in the past.
Pertinent Links:
1) Kidnapped Chaldean Priest : No to the Niniveh plain ethnic project
DAR AL HARB - U.S.A./VATICAN: PRESIDENT BUSH & POPE BENEDICT XVI DISCUSS THE PERSECUTED CHRISTIANS IN IRAQ
URGENT - Bush, pope discuss treatment Muslim majority's treatment of Christians in Iraq
by JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer
ROME (AP) - President Bush said Saturday that and he and Pope Benedict XVI discussed the pontiff's deep worries that Christians in Iraq would not be embraced by the Muslim majority.
''We didn't talk about just war,'' Bush said in a news conference with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi during a swing through Europe.
''He was concerned that the society that was evolving would not tolerate the Christian religion. ... He's worrisome about the Christians inside Iraq being mistreated by the Muslim majority.''
Bush met with the prime minister several hours after seeing the pope. The two men, meeting each other for the first time, appeared intent to look beyond their differences in Iraq. The pope, in his Easter message, had denounced the ''continual slaughter'' in Iraq and said that ''nothing positive'' is happening.
Bush said his meeting with the pope, in which the president stressed his record in fighting AIDS and supporting other humanitarian causes, was a ''moving experience.''
''I was talking to a very smart, loving man,'' Bush said.
On an issue back home, Bush said his decision to replace Gen. Peter Pace as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reflected the Democratic-led Congress' opposition to the war in Iraq.
...
and
Bush visits Pope: Middle East, Africa and religious freedom
During the “cordial talks”, Benedict XVI and the American leader analysed the “worrying situation in Iraq”, but in a more general sense issues regarding the entire Middle East and the “critical conditions in which the Christian communities find themselves”. The two leaders “also examined contemporary moral and religious issues”, among them human rights and religious freedom
...
Pertinent Links:
1) URGENT - Bush, pope discuss treatment Muslim majority's treatment of Christians in Iraq
2) Bush visits Pope: Middle East, Africa and religious freedom
by JENNIFER LOVEN, Associated Press Writer
ROME (AP) - President Bush said Saturday that and he and Pope Benedict XVI discussed the pontiff's deep worries that Christians in Iraq would not be embraced by the Muslim majority.
''We didn't talk about just war,'' Bush said in a news conference with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi during a swing through Europe.
''He was concerned that the society that was evolving would not tolerate the Christian religion. ... He's worrisome about the Christians inside Iraq being mistreated by the Muslim majority.''
Bush met with the prime minister several hours after seeing the pope. The two men, meeting each other for the first time, appeared intent to look beyond their differences in Iraq. The pope, in his Easter message, had denounced the ''continual slaughter'' in Iraq and said that ''nothing positive'' is happening.
Bush said his meeting with the pope, in which the president stressed his record in fighting AIDS and supporting other humanitarian causes, was a ''moving experience.''
''I was talking to a very smart, loving man,'' Bush said.
On an issue back home, Bush said his decision to replace Gen. Peter Pace as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff reflected the Democratic-led Congress' opposition to the war in Iraq.
...
and
Bush visits Pope: Middle East, Africa and religious freedom
During the “cordial talks”, Benedict XVI and the American leader analysed the “worrying situation in Iraq”, but in a more general sense issues regarding the entire Middle East and the “critical conditions in which the Christian communities find themselves”. The two leaders “also examined contemporary moral and religious issues”, among them human rights and religious freedom
...
Pertinent Links:
1) URGENT - Bush, pope discuss treatment Muslim majority's treatment of Christians in Iraq
2) Bush visits Pope: Middle East, Africa and religious freedom
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