By Baghdadhope
Two day ago, in the cosy atmosphere of the chapel of the Pontifical Urban College in Rome was held a mass restricted to the Eastern Christian community in Rome in memory of Mgr. Faraj P. Rahho. The officiant was Mgr. Philip Najim, Chaldean Procurator to the Holy See and Apostolic Visitor in Europe who reported some of the words spoken by the Chaldean Patriarch, Mar Emmanuel III Delly, during Mgr.Rahho’s funeral mass held in the same morning in Karamles. Present were, among the others, Cardinal Daoud I Ignace Moussa, Patriarch Emeritus of the Syriac Catholic Church and Prefect Emeritus of the Congregation for Oriental Churches, Mgr. Mikhail Jamil, Procurator to the Holy See and Apostolic Visitor in Europe for the same church, Father Khaled Bishayi, Official for the Chaldean church to the Congregation for Oriental Church, Father Jibrail, Superior General of Chaldean monks, Don Graziano Borgonovo, rector of the International Theological and Philosophical Seminary "John Paul II" and, of course, the rector of the Pontifical Urban College that hosted the ceremony: Father Fernando Domingues mccj.
Moving was the moment when, after the words by Mgr. Najim, the homily was delivered by Father Amer Najman Youkhanna, student at the Pontifical Irish College in Rome, but above all, a priest of the Archdiocese of Mosul of the Chaldeans and, as such, particularly touched by the death of Mgr. Rahho who was not only his bishop but also his pastor: "one of the main points that made me discover my vocation to the priesthood," as he said.
Below is the text by Father Amer Najman Youkhanna, moving testimony of a young priest who is saddened but, however, finds in Mgr. Rahho’s martyrdom a further incentive to continue to witness Christ in the tormented land of Iraq
Yet for your sake we face death all day long [1]
Dear brothers and sisters, the readings we have chosen for this mass show us a reality that does not concern only the first centuries of Christianity, but that is also now tragically present. The first reading tells us about the martyrdom of Eleazar [2], who, by his words tells us today how he wanted to testify his faith in God Almighty, "enduring terrible pain in my body from this scourging, but also suffering it with joy in my soul because of my devotion to him.". Eleazar could escape, but preferred to die to give glory to the name of the Lord, and not live in shame for having neglected His law. In the letter to the Romans, then, it is said " neither death, nor life, nor kings, nor governments, nor armies; neither those that shall rise, nor that are destined,neither height, nor depth, and neither any creatures can separate me from the love of God who is our Lord Jesus Christ.” The reading of the Gospel of Luke finally shows us how the Lord himself said the same:" they shall… persecute you for my name's sake, and “it shall turn to you for a testimony." Today we are gathered to celebrate an important event, a great joy: Mgr. Paul Faraj Rahho bore witness by his own blood to give glory to the name of Jesus our Lord. Yes, dear brothers, we are not here to mourn a dead, we are here to rejoice together that the eparchy of Mosul of the Chaldeans now has another intercessor in heaven, another martyr who continues to write the history of our church not with ink, but with his own blood.
Click on "leggi tutto" for the whole homily by Father Amer Najman Youkhanna
I think therefore that it is very important today, and all together as we are, to remember the life of this martyr. Mgr. Rahho was born on December 20, 1942, the last of eight children: five males and three females. He attended the primary school of St. Simon Peter in Mosul, and completed the middle and the high school in the minor seminary of the Chaldean Patriarchate of St. Simon Peter (1954-1960). He continued his studies in Baghdad and at the same seminar he completed the philosophical and theological studies. He was ordained priest on 10 January 1965. From 1974 to 1976 he was in Rome where he obtained the license in pastoral theology at the Angelicum University. Once back in Iraq he was parish priests of different churches: Mar Isaiah, Our Lady of Perpetual Help and, finally, S. Paul, my parish church, that was founded and built by him and where he spent the most important years of his life and achieved great successes in the pastoral field. Appointed bishop by the Synod of the Chaldean Church, he was ordained archbishop of Mosul on 16 February 2001.
Mgr. Rahho was well known for his pastoral zeal. As my pastor, in fact, his example was one of the main points that made me discover my vocation to the priesthood. I would like on this day to remember some of the activities, movements and fraternities founded by him. In 1986, in the parish church of St. Paul, he founded the "Fraternity of Charity and Joy" to assist the disabled brothers. They were to him a gift from the Lord to make us remember those who need us, to work with them was for him a way to discover the true meaning of humanity, making us become closer to the image of the Lord, present inside each of us. The fraternity grew and spread across the country, in Catholic and non-Catholic churches, becoming a shining example of ecumenism. Soon after he founded also the "Oasis of Charity and Joy" to accommodate the disabled brothers felt as a burden by their families. Among the other initiatives of the bishop there is also the "Fraternity of Friends of the Holy Family of Nazareth," for newly married couples, and the "Brothers of Jesus", who began to assist the poorest families under the embargo in the 90s and that still continue their activities.
Remarkable is the role that Mgr. Rahho had among young people who, throughout the diocese, loved him deeply. As a priest, in 1993, he created the "Youth Week", during which, twice a year, young people gather to pray and listen to some speakers discussing on a topic each time chosen among the closer to the lives of the new generations. An initiative that over time extended throughout the Archdiocese.
In the last years of war and American invasion Mgr. Rahho shown a great courage giving witness of faith and hope, insisting on the presence of Christians in Iraq and especially in his diocese: Mosul. He openly expressed its rejection of the way in which the Americans had wanted to bring democracy in our country, and in various meetings and interviews he declared as the Americans had not done anything good, but had, indeed, only destroyed Iraq. With courage Mgr. Rahho always wanted that all the churches in Mosul remained open, and always because of his courageous witness of faith he received many threats and letters of death sentence by various terrorist groups that now unfortunately control Mosul. The first act of violence he suffered was the terrorist attack against the archiepiscopal see palace on December 7, 2004. A terrible action as terrorists had placed, without any obstacle, the bombs inside the building, and after the explosion had prevented firemen to bring help. Since then Mgr. Rahho had understood that the Americans cannot guarantee the security, and when, as always late, they arrived, he sent them away.
After then, and several times, churches in Mosul have been object of attacks, and after each one of them, strong in his courage, Mgr. Rahho got things straight in a very short time, reopened their doors to the faithful, and in defiance of all the terrorists announced that "we will never go away from here because this is our land". After these attacks and as a mortal blow to the bishop on June 3, 2007 the terrorists killed in cold blood his right arm, Father Ganni Rageed and three subdeacons, after he had celebrated mass in the parish church of the Holy Spirit. After that event Mgr. Rahho stated in various interviews and articles that Christians in Mosul are truly persecuted, and after those statements he received many threats from various groups not revealing their true name, but merely saying "we are Mujahedin", a word so known that does not need to be translated.
Mgr. Rahho never gave up, indeed, those threats gave him more courage to go on. And it is precisely that courage that led him to continue to celebrate mass in the parish of the Holy Spirit, even though he knew that in that area terrorists are strong and present.
Then it came the day of his kidnapping that took place after the Via Crucis in the same parish, the day of the ambush when his driver and his two bodyguards died. People who were not with him to make money, as if it were a regular job, but because he was their pastor. Mgr. Rahho was killed in an inhumane way, for the lack of medicines that were necessary, and that the kidnappers never wanted us to make him have. "Saydna" you always said and declared: "I was born in Mosul, and I want to die in Mosul," and so, now you get the crown of martyrdom and we are gathered to celebrate this great event. You have been a true example of the good shepherd who gives his life for his flock. Dear brothers and sisters, we do not want to receive condolences for a dead, we are here to get your wishes, because we have a new intercessor in heaven: the Martyr Bishop Paul Faraj Rahho.
[1] Psalms. 44.23
[2] 2Macc. 6,18-31
Praised be Jesus Christ,
Always praised
Father Amer Najman YOUKHANNA
Priest of the Archdiocese of Mosul of the Chaldeans
March 14, 2008. Rome
Translated by Baghdadhope