Information service of the Pontifical Mission Societies since 1927
Baghdad (Fides Service)- In a message dated 8 November to Iraqi Muslims for the end of the month of Ramadan, the Christian Bishops of Ninive in northern Iraq issued a call for peace and national unity. Besides sending best wishes to all the followers of Islam the Bishops urged Muslim preachers to remember Iraq’s tradition of peaceful co-existence among religions and to preach peace not violence.
The Bishops say the present violence is totally foreign to the Iraqi people and that to fight terrorism it is necessary to be united. They also reject the imposition of the veil on Christian girl students.
In the meantime the Christian community in Iraq continues to receive threats. To prevent more attacks on churches young Christians mount night and day guard shifts at places of worship. Father Nizar Semaan a Catholic priest in Mosul told Fides, and he said “hostage taking of ordinary citizens is a daily event. Only yesterday a boy of 16 was released after his family paid a 40,000 dollar ransom”. (L.M.) (Agenzia Fides 10/11/2004 righe 19 parole 207)
