Rome, Italy, Oct 14, 2008 / 14:36 pm
Father Philip Najim of the Patriarchate of Babylonia of the Chaldeans, warned this week that violent anti-Christian violence carried out by Islamic fundamentalists in Iraq has turned the country “into a place of death, a country in which the death and harming of defenseless people has become an industry.¨
In an interview with the L’Osservatore Romano, Father Najim explained that with this wave of violence, those paying the price are “the Christian communities of Mosul, which in recent days have suffered persecution. Just today (Sunday) alone, one thousand people have had to abandon their homes after threats from unscrupulous terrorist groups.”
After pointing out the Church’s work to help people by offering them refuge in monasteries and convents, Father Najim said Mosul is currently “a prisoner of dark forces, of criminal gangs who want to postpone and block any peace process that the Iraqis wish to reach.