Baghdad (Fides Service) - "The Carmelite church has been damaged and the windows of the Patriarchate in Baghdad are all broken" says Mons Jacques Isaac secretary of the synod of bishops of the Chaldean Patriarchate and rector of the Babel College in Baghdad, affiliated with Urban University in Rome. As the bombing continues Mons Isaac is about to attend a meeting of bishops in the Iraqi capital who are preparing an official statement. He explains that one of the main purposes of the meeting is to take stock of the humanitarian situation and reported damages, in particular to Christian premises.
Mons. Isaac wished to express gratitude to Pope John Paul II for all his "efforts to prevent the war" and he adds: "This sentiment of gratitude is not only mine, it is of the entire Christian community and it is shared by all Iraqis." "The Holy Father continues to think of us, and to pray for us and he gives us great encouragement to continue our mission with trust and inner peace".
In the meantime, according to information collected by Fides Service, the Chaldean Patriarchate of Baghdad has been closed and the personnel has moved elsewhere. In the bombing, Auxiliary Bishop Emmanuel Karim Delly was slightly injured by pieces of glass when the bomb blast smashed windows in the Patriarchate. PA (Fides Service 27/3/2003 EM lines 22 Words: 244)