By Baghdadhope
On January 2007 Babel College, the only faculty of Christian Theology in Iraq and the major Chaldean seminary of Saint Peter were transferred for security reasons from Dora, a district south of Baghdad, to Ankawa, in the northern region controlled by the Kurdish Regional Government.
During the night between 25 and March 26 the premises of the College and of the Seminary became a combat outpost of the U.S. army. In the months following both Mgr. Jacques Isaac, Rector of Babel College, and Mgr. Shleimun Warduni, Patriarch vicar of Baghdad, denounced the employment of structures by the United States. In May 2007 the issue even led to an official note by the Chaldean Patriarchate stating that the occupation of the premises had occurred without notice or consent and that a request had been forwarded to US army to return to the Church what was described as "a place of prayer and Peace that must not be used for military purposes."
The question seemed dead. The American army remained deaf to the calls of the Chaldean hierarchy so that still on last November Mgr. Isaac talked about the old headquarters of the College in Baghdad as "inaccessible".
Since last March five units of the Multinational Division based in Baghdad have occupied the Babel College and the Chaldean seminary, and yesterday an article about the topic appeared on the web. In it it is stated that: "In 2006 the Coalition Forces have been allowed from the Chaldean bishop in charge of the property to use the College as a base .. That year the seminar had been transferred out of the country .. "
Three mistakes in one sentence:
1. The Seminar was not transferred in 2006 but in early 2007
2. The Seminar was not transferred "outside the country" but in the northern region of Iraq now and then controlled by the Kurdish Regional Government.
3. No bishop has ever granted such permission.
Contacted by Baghdadhope, infact, both Mgr.Isaac and Mgr.Warduni have categorically denied having ever granted any type of permit to U.S. forces to occupy the structures that, even if empty on March 2007, were and remain the property of the Patriarchate of Babylon of Chaldeans.