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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