Catholic Bishop Kidnapped in Mosul! (Per WMAL in DC)

WMAL | 1/17/2005 | Pyro7480

[ArrogantBustard]

[NYer]

Breaking on Asia News Service

IRAQ - VATICAN

Syrian Catholic Bishop of Mossul kidnapped

Patriarch of Baghdad: "Pray that his life be saved"

Baghdad (AsiaNews) -- "They took him: we don't know where they took him.  We don't even know who kidnapped him."  These are the remarks made by His Beatitude Monsignor Emmanuel Delly on the kidnapping of the Syrian Catholic bishop of Mossul, Monsignor Basile Georges Casmoussa.   It was Monsignor Delly himself, Chaldean Patriarch of Baghdad, to break the news to the Vatican and the world.  "The incident, " he told AsiaNews, "took place this afternoon at 4:30 p.m. local time.  All we know is that a car pulled up to him and took him: they loaded him into the trunk and drove away."   The Catholic hierarchy immediately set to work to activate channels with various communities in order to contact the kidnappers.  "We are doing everything possible to free him", says His Beatitude, "but we have yet to discover who abducted him".  Furthermore, there is no clear motive for the kidnapping: "Not only Christians are being targetted.  In recent months, terrorists have also kidnapped numerous Sunni, Shi'ite and even Mazdean (Zoroastrian) authorities.  I think they want to destabilize things in view of the elections.  By aiming higher and higher, they push the tension higher and higher.  Please pray that they spare his life."   Monsignor Basile Georges Casmoussa was born in 1938 in Karakoche, northern Iraq.  He received episcopal consecration in the Syrian Catholic Church in December 1999.  There are about 50,000 Syrian Catholics in Iraq.

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For those unfamiliar with the various churches and rites of the Catholic Church,

Eastern Rites and Churches

They have their own hierarchy distinct from the Latin Rite, system of governance (synods) and general law, the Code of Canons for the Eastern Churches. The Supreme Pontiff exercises his primacy over them through the Congregation for the Eastern Churches.

ANTIOCHIAN
The Church of Antioch in Syria (on the Mediterranean coast) is considered an apostolic see by virtue of having been founded by St. Peter. It was one of the ancient centers of the Church, as the New Testament attests, and is the source of a family of similar Rites using the ancient Syriac language (the Semitic dialect used in Jesus' time and better known as Aramaic). Its Liturgy is attributed to St. James and the Church of Jerusalem.

1. WEST SYRIAN
• Maronite - Never separated from Rome. Maronite Patriarch of Antioch. The liturgical language  is Aramaic. The 3 million Maronites are found in Lebanon (origin), Cyprus, Egypt, Syria, Israel, Canada, US, Mexico, Brazil, Argentina and Australia.
• Syriac - Syrian Catholics who returned to Rome in 1781 from the monophysite heresy. Syriac Patriarch of Antioch. The 110,000 Syrian Catholics are found in Syria, Lebanon, Iraq, Egypt, Canada and the US.
• Malankarese - Catholics from the South of India evangelized by St. Thomas, uses the West Syriac liturgy. Reunited with Rome in 1930. Liturgical languages today are West Syriac and Malayalam. The 350,000 Malankarese Catholics are found in India and North America.

2. EAST SYRIAN
• Chaldean - Babylonian Catholics returned to Rome in 1692 from the Nestorian heresy. Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans. Liturgical languages are Syriac and Arabic. The 310,000 Chaldean Catholics are found in Iraq, Iran, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Turkey and the US.
• Syro-Malabarese - Catholics from Southern India using the East Syriac liturgy. Returned to Rome in the 16th century from the Nestorian heresy. Liturgical languages are Syriac and Malayalam. Over 3 million Syro-Malabarese Catholics can be found in the state of Kerela, in SW India.

 

CATHOLIC RITES AND CHURCHES

[Destro]

Steal the oil? When crooks steal - they usually need to fence their stolen goods - cheaply - thus Saddam would have had to sell his oil on the cheap.

[Falconspeed]

Being a Christian in Iraq is associated with American soldiers. This association comes from the twisted minds of terrorists: "MOSUL, Iraq, JAN. 14, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Being a Christian, "of the same religion as the Western soldiers," is enough to be the considered an enemy in Iraq, says a Chaldean monk. Father Waheed Gabriele Tooma's statement was recalling the recent incident involving two Chaldean monks of the Dora monastery south of Baghdad, kidnapped a few days ago by unknown individuals and released two days later." Yes, time to pray.

[Destro]

Remember Lepanto? The results of Lepanto liberated not one Christian land under Islam.

[steve8714]

The Church has no balls. It has, alas, become rewmade not in the image of God, but of Cdl. Bernardin.

[Canticle_of_Deborah]

The results of Lepanto saved Europe from Muslim attack.

[Marysecretary]

I've often posted remarks that said Iraqi Christians were pretty much left alone by Hussein. Now they're easy game for the islamofascists.

[Destro]

The ones that did not die in the battle - Christian slaves- mostly Balkan Christians - revolted on the galley ships - and that was the last you ever saw of galley war ships.

[livius]

Why are you such a Muslim terrorist apologist? According to you, we should all sit down and collapse when confronted by them. According to you, Saddam was groovy, just a minor nuisance - hey, wait, are you Kerry in disguise?

[Destro]

The Muslim attack Western Europe and the West initiated by hammering at the Eastern Empire for being Orthodox. Thanks but no thanks. The West's policies have always had the unintended results of initiating the destruction of Eastern Christians.

Be it the Crusades - the sack of Constantinople, the preservation of the Ottoman empire to keep the Russians out of the Middle East, to the failure of the colonial admin to convert to Muslims to support of Wahabist Islam to fight eh Soviets.

Everytime these failed Western policies ened and teh West retreated the axe fell on the Eastern Christian's head.

[rogator]

But I heard on the news that some officials believed it to be a burglary gone bad.

[Destro]

Why are you such a Muslim terrorist apologist?

Saddam was a secular Muslim dictator who ruled with the help of Christians and Muslims under the Ba'athist system (a system founded by Arab Christians and Muslim nationalists). Secondly, my postings on Islam and Muslims offers immunity to your ridiculous charge I am a Muslim apologist of any kind.

When your arguments fail, you seem to turn a bomb thrower - and an off target flamer at that.

[Dimez Apart]

I surprised it took 24 posts before it became obvious the baby-eating Great Satan Bush is responsible. (roll eyes here)

[Edgerunner]

I believe that stupid is a prerequisite for becoming a lefty...

[Unam Sanctam]

Michael Moore's favorite minutemen/freedom fighters strike again!

[SJackson]

If you'd like to be on this middle east/political ping list, please FR mail me.

[livius]

Sorry, I just see that you keep claiming on this thread that Christian opposition to Muslims is next to useless, that Saddam was the Christians' best friend, etc. None of this is true; Saddam was out for Saddam, and as soon as he decided there was more to be gained by inflaming Muslim passions than by tolerating Christians, the Christians would have been gone immediately. He was removed before he got to that point, however, although he had already formed alliances with AQ and Muslim radicals.

I do recall your posting history, and from your other posts, I would like to ask you something: If the kidnapped bishop has been Orthodox, would you be more concerned?

[thoughtomator]

"The Holy See deplores in the firmest way such a terrorist act," a Vatican statement said, demanding that he be freed immediately.

God's punishment for their cowardice and infidelity in choosing to worship at the altar of "peace" and misusing what little moral authority is left in it?