Source: SIR
“A veritable hell on earth”. This is how mgr. Shlemon Warduni, Patriarchal Vicar of Baghdad tells to SIR about the explosion occurred in his church, the church of Saint Mary, one of the seven of the Iraqi capital that were attacked last weekend. “At the end of Mass, we went into the courtyard where I greeted some people. I had just moved to my office at the back as I heard a boom, a voice from hell, with shouts, screams and children crying, and then lots of fire and lots of smoke. Just after that, people from the neighbourhood, even Muslims, came to help us. Those were terrible moments that killed two of our devotees and injured lots of people”. “Last night – the Chaldean Bishop goes on –, we celebrated the funeral of the two devotees that died in the attack. Out of the Church, there were the army and the police sent by the Government. We prayed for peace again, and there were lots of Muslims with us. I told them that the presence of Muslims at this sad time proves that nobody and nothing can split the Iraqi population. Unfortunately, some improvement in the living conditions will not remove the fear of the future. Very soon, card. Delly and I will meet some Government leaders and we will see what they tell us. Christians and Muslims must remain strong in their courage and in their mutual love. That’s the only way for us to build a new, peaceful, reconciled and fair Iraq”.
