By Father Douglas Dawood Al Bazi
Translated by Baghdadhope
In 2003 Americans arrived in Iraq and brought with them the flag of democracy and freedom. In recent years there is no place, being office, home, road, church or mosque that has not known the sorrow. Today it is strange to see some Iraq militia - there are at least 25 operating in the country - parading in the streets with a olive branch in one hand, and a weapon in the other, while Christians are bringing a olive branch in one hand but a candle in the other, both symbols of Iraqi Christianity.
On April 5 in Baghdad Father Yousef Abudi, a Syriac Orthodox priest, was killed.
Why Father Yousef was killed? He had not done anything more than what the martyrs who preceded him – and who will follow him- did and will do: he carried in his hands the peace and justice that in these five years were not - and are not - appreciated by some political and religious partes. What it must be known is that the Christian community in Iraq, especially in Baghdad, sees in the church the only place of aggregation, and in the figure of the priest the heart of the community itself. To hit this symbol then - in recent years churches and monasteries have been attacked, thousands of Christian families were forced to flee, dozens of priests were seized, tens of deacons and four priests were killed and a Chaldean bishop, Monsignor Faraj P. Rahho, died during his captivity – means to try to push people to flee, but priests will remain among those who are unable to leave their homes. Facing death every day only serves to unite even more the Iraqi Christian community - at home and abroad - and it is so very sad to have to admit that in these dark years death is the glue of Iraqi Christians.