11 March 2008

Where's kidnapped Archbishop Rahho?

Kidnapped Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mosul, Iraq, seems to have disappeared off the radar screen of the world's media. I can find nothing new about his disappearance anywhere. But Deacon Keith Fournier asks passionately in an editorial on 6 March on Catholic Online, Why No United States Outcry over the Kidnapping of Archbishop Rahho?

Deacon Fournier writes, Now, almost a week later, authorities are no closer to finding him or even identifying who kidnapped this beloved Church leader. He walks his own way of the Cross, with the Lord,and with Christians throughout the world who walk the Way with him, in solidarity and prayer.

He further writes, Father Emanuel Youkhana of the Christian Aid Program 'Nohadra Iraq' told a reporter, 'You might release the bishop, but you cannot recover the confidence of the people...Within the last two or three months, the church is attacked and then the bishop is kidnapped, so how can people save their confidence?' Fr Mikhail is convinced, as are most observers, that these escalating acts of targeted persecution against Christians are about driving the Christian community from Iraq. He noted, 'There are some Muslims that want to put Christians out of Mosul . . . So through these criminals, they try to intimidate the relationship between Muslims and Christians.'

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