Cardinal Louis Raphaël I Sako, the Patriarch of the Chaldean Catholic Church, made his remarks on the 14th anniversary of the murder of Archbishop Paulos Rahho of Mosul.
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Iraq: An overview of the Church and of the country s Christian communities
Pope Francis is to undertake the first-ever apostolic journey to Iraq from 5 to 8 March. We offer an overview of the nation s ancientand diverse Christian communities, of their plight and of their challenges.
By Lisa Zengarini
Christianity has been in Iraq from its earliest times, as the Acts of the Apostles testify. Its origins go back to the preaching of St Thomas the Apostle and his disciples Addai and Mari in the first century A.D., which extended to East Asia. Iraq is therefore, biblically and historically, an important land for all Christians who have played an important role in its history.
Persecuted Iraqi Christians look forward to pope’s visit with hope
Anjana Sankar/Dubai
Father Michaeel, the Archbishop Chaldean of Mosul, overseeing the renovation work at his church.
It was 5.30am and the sun was yet to crack through the Mosul’s sky. But in the distance, Father Najeeb Michaeel could clearly see the silhouettes of dozens of men brandishing their Kalashnikovs and charging toward his direction.
The marauding militants of the Daesh group were inching close. They had conquered most part of Iraq by June 2014, and were on a killing-spree.
“On that night, I saw the Daesh militants with my naked eyes. Men clad in black and with a murderous rage”, Father Michaeel, now the Archbishop Chaldean of Mosul, told Khaleej Times over phone from Mosul.