Many of you will not be aware of the effect the Iraq war is having on the christian community there, along with the destruction of Many churches the death of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho has been a huge blow. Please remember as you read this that Christianity is not of western origin and indeed the followers of Christ were first called Christians in Antioch. What happens There deeply affects all Christians. Here is an account of the kidnapping of the archbishop from wikipedia."According to church officials, gunmen sprayed the Archbishop's car with bullets, killed two bodyguards and shoved the bishop into the trunk of a car. In the darkness, he managed to pull out his cellphone and call the church, telling officials not to pay a ransom for his release, they said. "He believed that this money would not be paid for good works and would be used for killing and more evil actions," the officials said. Other reports stated that also investigators believed the archbishop may have been shot at the time of the kidnapping. Nineveh Deputy Governor Khasro Goran stated that when relatives and authorities went to the location specified by the kidnappers and found the body, it had "gunshot wounds". His Holiness Pope Benedict stated the murder was "an act of inhuman violence that offends the dignity of the human being." The pope also denounced the 5-year-long Iraq war, saying it had provoked the complete breakup of Iraqi civilian life. 'Enough with the slaughters. Enough with the violence. Enough with the hatred in Iraq!'. I urge you to visit this site. http://www.christiansofiraq.com/uniscomosque.html to learn more about the climate that Eastern Christians are living in.
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