Source: Ankawa.com
By Baghdadhope
Low-profile celebrations for the next Christmas have been requested by Mar Ephram church in Basra in sign of mourning for the death of Usama Fareed and his sister Maysoon, killed on December 11. After the flight abroad of the rest of the family two years ago due to the continuos threats to the Iraqi Christian community of Basra, Mr. Fareed and his sister were living in the central area of Briha. According to the Chaldean parish priest of the city, Fr. Emad Aziz Banna, present to the funeral service were also some Muslims living in the same area. A sign of good will that in any case will not be able to stop the exodus of the ever more terrified and exposed to violence Christian community still living in a city that, on the eve of the disengagement of the British troops, is day by day more dangerous. According to Fr. Banna the bloody murder of the Fareed brothers will negatively affect the community. Usama Fareed run a shop of electrical repairs in the area of Aziziah in a part of a house belonging to a Saudi family who left the country, but he had been obliged to shut it down due to the threats receveid by an extremist group.
In the meanwhile in Baghdad further congratulations to the Patriarch of the Chaldean Church, Mar Emmanuel III Delly, for his recent appointment as a Cardinal. Yesterday was the turn of Iraqi vice-president, Mr.Adel Abdul Mahdi, who, in receiving the Cardinal, expressed his congratulations and a thank to the Holy Father for the honour given to all Iraq by Delly’s appoitment, while on December 10 the Cardinal received a delegation of the Iraqi Communist party.
A delegation of the City Council of Kirkuk expressed its congratulation for the appointment of Mar Emmanuel III Delly as a Cardinal to the Archbishop of the city, Mgr. Sako, who was welcomed back after his long journey abroad. The delegation talked about the importance of unity among all the sectors of the city and Mgr. Sako thanked them for the warm welcome and the speech. On the same day Mgr. Sako visited the city mayor and discussed the situation of Christian community in the city and its role in the city council.
