Source:You Tube
Come la ricordo
As I remember it
29 gennaio 2010
Dall'Italia un sorriso per i bambini iracheni. Prossima missione: Iraq ( Nassiriya) - Febbraio 2010
Fonte: Sorrisi dal mondo. Smile Train Italia onlus
Nel corso del 2008 i volontari di Smile Train Italia onlus hanno realizzato con successo due missioni chirurgiche in Iraq, nella provincia di Nassiriya. Grazie a queste missioni, che hanno visto partecipare in qualità di volontario il prof. Roberto Cortelazzi, Direttore della U.O.C. di Chirurgia Maxillo-Facciale presso l’Ospedale “F. Miulli” di Acquaviva delle Fonti, sono stati operati 177 bambini. Purtroppo, nonostante l'eccellente risultato delle missioni, sono stati individuati dei casi clinici particolarmente gravi per i quali non è stato possibile intervenire sul posto. Il prof. Cortelazzi e la sua equipe chirurgica, in collaborazione con il resto del personale dell’Ospedale "F. Miulli", ha scelto di dare una seconda possibilità a questi bambini permettendo loro di essere operati a Bari.
I pazienti operati sono stati in totale 4.
Prossima missione: Iraq ( Nassiriya) - Febbraio 2010
Nel corso del 2008 i volontari di Smile Train Italia onlus hanno realizzato con successo due missioni chirurgiche in Iraq, nella provincia di Nassiriya. Grazie a queste missioni, che hanno visto partecipare in qualità di volontario il prof. Roberto Cortelazzi, Direttore della U.O.C. di Chirurgia Maxillo-Facciale presso l’Ospedale “F. Miulli” di Acquaviva delle Fonti, sono stati operati 177 bambini. Purtroppo, nonostante l'eccellente risultato delle missioni, sono stati individuati dei casi clinici particolarmente gravi per i quali non è stato possibile intervenire sul posto. Il prof. Cortelazzi e la sua equipe chirurgica, in collaborazione con il resto del personale dell’Ospedale "F. Miulli", ha scelto di dare una seconda possibilità a questi bambini permettendo loro di essere operati a Bari.
I pazienti operati sono stati in totale 4.
Ahmed e Hussein erano affetti da una grave patologia tumorale e sono stati curati tramite l’utilizzo di un trattamento sperimentale che avvale di un farmaco importato direttamente dal Giappone, rientrando anche un un gruppo di Studio internazionale. Il terzo paziente è stato invece vittima dello scoppio di un ordigno bellico che gli ha provocato una gravissima perdita di sostanza della faccia, l’equipe è stata impiegata per questo caso in un delicato intervento di ricostruzione microchirurgica del volto trasportando una porzione ossea e cutanea della gamba a livello della regione mandibolare.
Il quarto paziente Ali Johad, è stato vittima dell’esplosione che a Nassiriya ha causato la morte di numerosi soldati italiani e che a lui ha provocato un notevole danno alle strutture ossee e molli del naso. Ali è arrivato in Italia nel luglio 2009 ed è tornato in Iraq ad ottobre, dopo essere stato sottoposto a tre interventi chirurgici grazie ai quali gli è stato interamente ricostruito il naso, permettendo al suo volto di riacquistare funzionalità e la dignità che la guerra gli aveva portato via.
Il quarto paziente Ali Johad, è stato vittima dell’esplosione che a Nassiriya ha causato la morte di numerosi soldati italiani e che a lui ha provocato un notevole danno alle strutture ossee e molli del naso. Ali è arrivato in Italia nel luglio 2009 ed è tornato in Iraq ad ottobre, dopo essere stato sottoposto a tre interventi chirurgici grazie ai quali gli è stato interamente ricostruito il naso, permettendo al suo volto di riacquistare funzionalità e la dignità che la guerra gli aveva portato via.
Prossima missione: Iraq ( Nassiriya) - Febbraio 2010
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28 gennaio 2010
Iraq: L'Arcivescovo di Mosul valuta le prospettive per i cristiani
Fonte: Aid to the Church in Need
By John Pontifex
By John Pontifex
Tradotto ed adattato da Baghdadhope*
Colui che è diventato il più giovane arcivescovo cattolico del mondo ha parlato di "speranza e fiducia" nell'assumere il ruolo di pastore di alcuni dei cristiani più perseguitati in Iraq.
Ad appena 42 anni, Amil Shamaaoun Nona è stato ordinato arcivescovo di Mosul, nel nord dell'Iraq, sostituendo Paulos Faraj Rahho, rapito davanti alla sua cattedrale quasi due anni fa e deceduto in prigionia 10 giorni dopo.
In una dichiarazione ad "Aiuto alla Chiesa che Soffre" l'organizzazione caritatevole cattolica per i cristiani perseguitati e che soffrono, il nuovo arcivescovo ha dato la sua risposta alla continua ondata di omicidi, rapimenti e attentati dinamitardi a chiese ed ad altri centri cristiani in tutta la città. L'Arcivescovo Nona, che fino alla sua nomina è stato sacerdote della vicina diocesi di Alqosh, ha scritto: "La mia nuova missione è dare speranza e fiducia ai cristiani di Mosul, rendendoli consapevoli della presenza di un padre e di ,un ministro accanto a loro nell'attuale situazione. "
L'arcivescovo, che è stato installato nella sua cattedrale venerdì 22 gennaio, circa due settimane dopo la sua ordinazione episcopale, ha dato una valutazione realistica delle enormi sfide per i cristiani della regione affermando che, a causa della recrudescenza delle violenze anti-cristiane e delle intimidazioni nel 2003, la comunità cattolica di rito caldeo nella città di Mosul si è ridotta di due terzi ed è ora di appena 5000 persone.
L' arcivescovo Nona ha avvertito che una diminuzione del numero dei cristiani potrebbe far sprofondare il cristianesimo di Mosul nelle catacombe.
Ha scritto: "Quando tutte le persone ricche che hanno un'attività in proprio, investimenti e fabbriche, lasciano la città, coloro che rimangono avranno un effetto trascurabile."
Mosul, sul fiume Tigri e legata alla biblica Ninive, è considerata come il cuore storico del cristianesimo in Iraq e tradizionalmente la città che vantava il maggior numero di fedeli nel paese.
Con le crescenti prove dell'attività di Al Qaeda e di altri estremisti nella regione i cristiani sono fuggiti in risposta all'aumento delle vittime tra loro, un problema aggravato dal loro essere etichettati come facile bersaglio negli scontri tra curdi e arabi della città. Nel suo messaggio ad Aiuto alla Chiesa che Soffre l'Arcivescovo Nona ha continuato a chiedere che i cristiani siano lasciati in pace e tenuti fuori dalla lotta politica per il controllo della regione.
Con un riferimento indiretto alle prossime elezioni generali di marzo ha scritto: "Come cristiani dobbiamo portare la nostra causa all'attenzione dei paesi influenti in modo da esercitare pressioni sui poteri politici in conflitto in Iraq perchè non si servano di noi per ottenere vantaggi politici. Questo è ciò che sta accadendo ora ".
Ai resoconti secondo i quali l'attacco ai cristiani è considerato dai gruppi radicali come uno stratagemma per attirare l'attenzione internazionale il vescovo ha aggiunto: "Ciò che è necessario è la pressione internazionale sui partiti forti ed influenti in Iraq perchè ci tengano lontani dalla loro lotta per il potere".
Un'ondata di violenza all'inizio dell'autunno del 2008 ha costretto circa la metà della comunità cristiana di Mosul a lasciare la città.
Molti vi sono tornati ma tra essi un gran numero è ripartito con il continuare delle violenze sporadiche. Ricordando le minacce ai cristiani in tutta la città l'Arcivescovo Nona ha sottolineato come la polizia stia proteggendo ogni chiesa e le case dei sacerdoti. I suoi commenti arrivano dopo l'impennata di violenza contro i cristiani a Mosul, in particolare nel periodo di Natale.
La serie di rapimenti e uccisioni ha avuto il suo culmine il giorno prima della vigilia di Natale quando una bomba ha danneggiato la Chiesa di San Tommaso (Mar Toma) che risale a 1.200 anni fa. Due persone sono state uccise e cinque sono rimaste ferite.
In risposta all'aumento della violenza anti-cristiana l'arcivescovo di rito latino di Baghdad, Mons. Jean Sleiman, si è scagliato contro ciò che ha definito un "silenzio dei media" sulla persecuzione della chiesa in Iraq.
In un'intervista all'agenzia di stampa SIR di lunedi 25 gennaio della notizia di due uomini cattolici uccisi a Mosul nel fine settimana l'Arcivescovo Sleiman ha detto: "Rompiamo il muro di silenzio che circonda l'uccisione dei cristiani a Mosul ed in Iraq. I cristiani vengono uccisi a Mosul mentre lo Stato non fa nulla. Le forze dell'ordine in servizio nei luoghi degli attentati e delle uccisioni non vedono, non sentono e non parlano".
In questo contesto l'Arcivescovo Nona ha sottolineato nel suo messaggio ad Aiuto alla Chiesa che Soffre come la chiesa sia stata per molti cristiani di Mosul l'unica fonte di speranza. Ha scritto: "L'unica cosa cui ancora i fedeli sono vicini è la Chiesa. Per questo motivo essa, rappresentata nella persona del vescovo, deve prendersi cura dei suoi seguaci ed aiutarli a sentirsi al sicuro attraverso la sua presenza tra loro."
Mons. Nona è nato nel novembre del 1967 ad Alqosh, un antico villaggio cristiano nella piana di Ninive nei pressi di Mosul, dove ha prestato servizio come sacerdote successivamente alla sua ordinazione avvenuta nel gennaio del 1991 all'età di 23 anni. Alcuni progetti pastorali per i quali ha lavorato in quella zona hanno ricevuto un finanziamento da parte di Aiuto alla Chiesa che Soffre - in particolare nel settore del lavoro giovanile e per la costruzione di un asilo nido.
Oltre a diventare il più giovane arcivescovo cattolico secondo http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/ Mons Nona è il nono tra i vescovi cattolici più giovani nel mondo (il più giovane ha solo 39 anni).
Iraq: New Archbishop of Mosul assesses the outlook for Christians
Source: Aid to the Church in Need
by John Pontifex
The man who has become the world's youngest Catholic archbishop has spoken of his "hopes and confidence" as he takes up his role as shepherd to some of Iraq's most persecuted Christians.
At barely 42, Amil Shamaaoun Nona has been ordained Archbishop of Mosul in northern Iraq, replacing Paulos Faraj Rahho, who was kidnapped outside his cathedral nearly two years ago, dying in captivity 10 days later.
In a statement to Aid to the Church in Need, the Catholic charity for persecuted and other suffering Christians, the new archbishop gave his response to the ongoing spate of killings, abductions and bomb blasts aimed at churches and other Christian centres across the city.
Archbishop Nona, who until his appointment was a priest of nearby Alqosh diocese, wrote: "My new mission is to provide hope and confidence to the Christians in Mosul, making them aware of the presence of a father and a minister beside them in their present plight."
The archbishop, who was installed in his cathedral at a ceremony on Friday (22nd Jan) about two weeks after his episcopal ordination, gave a realistic assessment of the huge challenges facing the region's Christians.
He stated that, since the upsurge of anti-Christian violence and intimidation in 2003, the Chaldean-rite Catholic community in Mosul city has dwindled by two-thirds and is now down to as few as 5,000 people.
Archbishop Nona warned that a decline in numbers threatens to force Christianity in Mosul into obscurity.
He wrote: "When all the wealthy people who own businesses, investments and factories leave the city, those who remain will have an effect that is negligible."
At barely 42, Amil Shamaaoun Nona has been ordained Archbishop of Mosul in northern Iraq, replacing Paulos Faraj Rahho, who was kidnapped outside his cathedral nearly two years ago, dying in captivity 10 days later.
In a statement to Aid to the Church in Need, the Catholic charity for persecuted and other suffering Christians, the new archbishop gave his response to the ongoing spate of killings, abductions and bomb blasts aimed at churches and other Christian centres across the city.
Archbishop Nona, who until his appointment was a priest of nearby Alqosh diocese, wrote: "My new mission is to provide hope and confidence to the Christians in Mosul, making them aware of the presence of a father and a minister beside them in their present plight."
The archbishop, who was installed in his cathedral at a ceremony on Friday (22nd Jan) about two weeks after his episcopal ordination, gave a realistic assessment of the huge challenges facing the region's Christians.
He stated that, since the upsurge of anti-Christian violence and intimidation in 2003, the Chaldean-rite Catholic community in Mosul city has dwindled by two-thirds and is now down to as few as 5,000 people.
Archbishop Nona warned that a decline in numbers threatens to force Christianity in Mosul into obscurity.
He wrote: "When all the wealthy people who own businesses, investments and factories leave the city, those who remain will have an effect that is negligible."
Mosul, on the River Tigris and linked to the Biblical Nineveh, is seen as the historical heartland of Christianity in Iraq and traditionally it has been the city boasting the largest number of faithful in the country.
But, with growing evidence of Al Qaeda and other extremist activity in the region, Christians have fled in response to increasing victimisation, a problem compounded by their being labelled as easy targets in clashes between Kurds and Arabs in the city.
In his message to ACN, Archbishop Nona went on to plead for Christians to be left in peace and kept out of the political struggle for control of the region.
In an oblique reference to the upcoming general elections in March, he wrote: "We need to carry our cause as Christians to the influential countries so as to exert pressure on the conflicting political powers in Iraq not to use us to gain some political benefits. That is what is happening now."
Amid reports that attacking Christians is seen by radical groups as a ploy to attract international attention, he added: "What is required is an international pressure on the strong and influential parties in Iraq to keep us away from their struggle for power."
A wave of violence in early autumn 2008 forced about half of Mosul's Christian community to leave the city.
Many returned but of those a large number have left as sporadic violence continues.
Pointing out the threats to Christians across the city, Archbishop Nona stressed that police protection was now in place at every church and priests' house.
His comments come after a surge of violence against Christians in Mosul, especially over Christmas.
A number of kidnappings and killings took place climaxing on the day before Christmas Eve when a bomb blast damaged the city's St Thomas's Church (Mar Toma), which dates back 1,200 years. Two people were killed and five were injured.
In response to the rise in anti-Christian violence, Latin-rite Archbishop Jean Sleiman of Baghdad, spoke out against what he called a "media silence" on persecution against the Church in Iraq.
In an interview with SIR news agency given on Monday (25th Jan) amid reports of two Catholic men being killed in Mosul at the weekend, Archbishop Sleiman said: "Let us break the wall of silence that surrounds the killing of Christians in Mosul and in Iraq.
"Christians are killed in Mosul, while the State does nothing. The forces of order serving in the places of the attacks and killings don't see, don't hear, don't speak."
Against this backdrop, Archbishop Nona underlined in his message to ACN that the Church was for many Christians in Mosul the only source of hope.
He wrote: "The only thing that the faithful are still adhering to is the Church. For this reason, the Church, represented in the person of the bishop, has to care for its followers and help them feel secure through its presence in them and among them."
Archbishop Nona was born in November 1967 in Alqosh, an ancient Christian village in the Nineveh plain outside Mosul, where he ministered as a priest after his ordination in January 1991 at the age of 23.
A number of pastoral projects he has worked on in the area received funding from Aid to the Church in Need -- most notably youth work and funds to build a kindergarten.
As well as becoming the youngest Catholic archbishop, according to http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/, he is also the ninth youngest Catholic bishop in the world (the youngest being only 39).
But, with growing evidence of Al Qaeda and other extremist activity in the region, Christians have fled in response to increasing victimisation, a problem compounded by their being labelled as easy targets in clashes between Kurds and Arabs in the city.
In his message to ACN, Archbishop Nona went on to plead for Christians to be left in peace and kept out of the political struggle for control of the region.
In an oblique reference to the upcoming general elections in March, he wrote: "We need to carry our cause as Christians to the influential countries so as to exert pressure on the conflicting political powers in Iraq not to use us to gain some political benefits. That is what is happening now."
Amid reports that attacking Christians is seen by radical groups as a ploy to attract international attention, he added: "What is required is an international pressure on the strong and influential parties in Iraq to keep us away from their struggle for power."
A wave of violence in early autumn 2008 forced about half of Mosul's Christian community to leave the city.
Many returned but of those a large number have left as sporadic violence continues.
Pointing out the threats to Christians across the city, Archbishop Nona stressed that police protection was now in place at every church and priests' house.
His comments come after a surge of violence against Christians in Mosul, especially over Christmas.
A number of kidnappings and killings took place climaxing on the day before Christmas Eve when a bomb blast damaged the city's St Thomas's Church (Mar Toma), which dates back 1,200 years. Two people were killed and five were injured.
In response to the rise in anti-Christian violence, Latin-rite Archbishop Jean Sleiman of Baghdad, spoke out against what he called a "media silence" on persecution against the Church in Iraq.
In an interview with SIR news agency given on Monday (25th Jan) amid reports of two Catholic men being killed in Mosul at the weekend, Archbishop Sleiman said: "Let us break the wall of silence that surrounds the killing of Christians in Mosul and in Iraq.
"Christians are killed in Mosul, while the State does nothing. The forces of order serving in the places of the attacks and killings don't see, don't hear, don't speak."
Against this backdrop, Archbishop Nona underlined in his message to ACN that the Church was for many Christians in Mosul the only source of hope.
He wrote: "The only thing that the faithful are still adhering to is the Church. For this reason, the Church, represented in the person of the bishop, has to care for its followers and help them feel secure through its presence in them and among them."
Archbishop Nona was born in November 1967 in Alqosh, an ancient Christian village in the Nineveh plain outside Mosul, where he ministered as a priest after his ordination in January 1991 at the age of 23.
A number of pastoral projects he has worked on in the area received funding from Aid to the Church in Need -- most notably youth work and funds to build a kindergarten.
As well as becoming the youngest Catholic archbishop, according to http://www.catholic-hierarchy.org/, he is also the ninth youngest Catholic bishop in the world (the youngest being only 39).
27 gennaio 2010
God Weeps on the Web - On line voice for persecuted Christians
Source: Aid to the Church in Need
25th January 2010 –
25th January 2010 –
by John Newton
A multi media website was launched on Monday, 25th January to highlight the plight of Christians who suffer for their faith. The website Where God Weeps has been produced by Catholic Radio and Television Network (CRTN) in cooperation with Aid to the Church in Need. The new multi-media website complements CRTN’s Where God Weeps television and radio series on persecuted Christians, which are broadcast by the Eternal Word Television Network (EWTN). The Where God Weeps website draws on a number of sources including Aid to the Church in Need’s report on the persecution of Christians, Persecuted and Forgotten and interviews with cardinals, bishops, priests, missionaries and lay experts – those who live and work daily in areas of persecution around the world. The central element of the website is a monthly focus on particular countries where Christians endure persecution, featuring a 12-minute documentary, key statistics, political and social facts and an interview with a leading Church figure, such as a bishop or a religious superior. Mark Riedemann, director of CRTN, said: “The media platform provides an important opportunity for people wanting to find out more about the suffering Church and how they get involved.” He stressed the importance of the launch date – the Feast of the Conversion of St Paul (25th January) – saying that the Apostle’s transformation from persecutor of Christians to champion of their cause “points to the essence” of the website’s aims and objectives. In addition to the online documentaries and interviews, the website also includes breaking news pages and a ‘how to help’ section featuring projects supported by Aid to the Church in Need. Mr Riedemann said the website aims to reflect strong evidence that the persecution of Christians had increased. He made reference to a December 2009 study by the Pew Research Centre’s Forum on Religion & Public Life, which concluded that nearly 70 percent of the world’s 6.8 billion people live in countries with high or very high restrictions on religion. Complementary information provided by organisations such as the International Christian Concern and the Christian Solidarity Worldwide indicates that Christians are persecuted more than any other religious group. In some countries persecution now threatens the survival of the Church. Mr Riedemann said this growing persecution of Christians contravenes article 18 of the UN’s Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which guarantees “the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion”.
Chaldean Rite Mass celebrated on COB Basra
Source: The Red Bull news
By Spc. Samuel Soza
Sunday, 24 January 2010
COB BASRA, Iraq – Service members, civilians, and contractors joined acting Bishop of Basrah, Imad al-Banna, as he conducted Mass according to the Chaldean rite in the new chapel, here, Jan. 16.
“The reason was to continue a relationship begun by our allies,” said Chaplain (Lt. Col.) John Morris, 34th Infantry Division chaplain.
According to the Afton, Minn. native, the tradition of coalition forces attending and hosting religious ceremonies with the local religious community is part of an important association in the stabilization of the country.
“Hosting Mass is a way to foster that relationship,” said Morris.
Morris described the acting bishop’s involvement in helping develop Basrah’s civil capacities -- such as the three schools in Basrah that teach children from all faiths -- as a “tremendous asset”.
Since April, the 34th Inf. Div. has hosted the Chaldean Mass three times – twice at Contingency Operating Base Basra and once at COB Adder.
Al-Banna, a native of Basrah, is a strategic leader in United States Division-South.
He leads Christian communities in Basrah, Amarah, Nasiriyah and al-Kut. He is also a significant national leader and has met in the past with Grand Ayatollah Sayyid Ali al-Sistani and Prime Minister Nouri Kamel al-Maliki, said Morris.
Morris said he hoped the service would give Soldiers experience with a “diverse and ancient culture”.
“They have 1,800 years of continued existence in Iraq and represent a more ancient people, the Chaldeans, who have a recorded 6,000-year-old history,” he said.
He also said that he hoped the service would be spiritually encouraging for those in attendance and that by sharing in religious fellowship they could enhance the relationship between the Americans and the Iraqis.
“I find it very moving, very inspiring,” he said.
Al-Banna took the place of the actual bishop of Basrah, who fled to Australia in March 2008 after receiving threats during the time of the “Charge of the Knights” operation.
The operation was the first Iraqi Army-led operation and aimed to drive the Mahdi army out of the area.
Morris said that sharing in religious ceremonies is only a small part of a much larger picture.
“I think this has dimensions beyond Mass. It has to do with religious freedom,” he said, “It has to do with the protections of minorities in the new Iraq. It has to do with healthy stability.”
26 gennaio 2010
Un altro attacco ai cristiani di Mosul
Nel corso del prossimo sinodo del Medio Oriente che si terrà a Roma a metà ottobre il Vaticano dovrà trovare il modo di fermare l'emorragia dei cristiani dal Medio Oriente.
Particolarmente difficile sarà trovare una soluzione per gli iracheni cristiani.
Questa mattina a Mosul sono stati colpiti due negozi di alcolici. Uno di essi, nel quartiere di Alwasa, era di proprietà di un cristiano, Ragheed Sabah Tobia, che è stato gravemente ferito dall'esplosione ed è subito stato ricoverato in ospedale. L'altro negozio, nel quartiere di Bishop Castle, era di proprietà di un uomo appartenente alla minoranza yazida le cui condizioni di salute dopo l'esplosione sono tuttora ignote.
Another attack to the Christians of Mosul
By Baghdadhope*
Source of the news: Ankawa.com
In the next synod for the Middle East that will be held in Rome by mid October the Vatican will try to find a way to stop the haemorrhage of the Cristians from the Middle East.
Particularly difficult will be to find a solution for the Iraqi Christians.
This morning in Mosul two alchool shops have been targeted. One of them in the Alwasa neighbourhood was owned by a Christian man, Ragheed Sabah Tobia, who was seriously injured by the explosion and was taken to hospital. The other shop, in the Bishop Castle neighbourhood, was owned by a man belonging to the Yazidi community whose health conditions after the explosion are still unknown.
25 gennaio 2010
Mons. Nona prega sulla tomba di Padre Ragheed Ganni a Karamles
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By Baghdadhope*Fonte delle notizie e foto: Ankawa.com
Sabato 23 gennaio il vescovo di Mosul, Mons. Emile Shimoun Nona, è stato accolto a Karamles da una grande folla che lo ha accompagnato nelle sue visite alle chiese dedicate alla Vergine Maria ed a Santa Barbara. Il giorno successivo Mons. Nona ha celebrato la Santa Messa nella chiesa dedicata all'apostolo Mar Addai. Il significato della visita di Mons. Nona a Karamles è profondo, e si lega ai tragici avvenimenti che hanno segnato la storia della cristianità irachena, e della chiesa caldea in particolare, negli ultimi anni.
Fu proprio a Karamles, infatti, che fu sepolto nel giugno 2007 Padre Ragheed Ganni, il giovane sacerdote di Mosul ucciso a sangue freddo con tre diaconi della sua chiesa, e che per un anno, prima di essere trasferite a Mosul nel marzo 2009, riposarono le spoglie di Mons. Faraj Paulos Raho, il predecessore di Mons. Nona.
Nel corso della sua visita alla chiesa di Mar Addai Mons. Nona si è fermato a pregare sulla tomba di Padre Ragheed.
Msgr. Nona prays on Father Ragheed Ganni's tomb in Karamles
By Baghdadhope*
Source of the news: Ankawa.com
Saturday, January 23, the bishop of Mosul, Msgr. Emile Shimoun Nona, was welcomed in Karamles by a large crowd who accompanied him in his visits to the churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Santa Barbara. The next day Msgr. Nona celebrated the Holy Mass in the church dedicated to the apostle Mar Addai.
Source of the news: Ankawa.com
Saturday, January 23, the bishop of Mosul, Msgr. Emile Shimoun Nona, was welcomed in Karamles by a large crowd who accompanied him in his visits to the churches dedicated to the Virgin Mary and Santa Barbara. The next day Msgr. Nona celebrated the Holy Mass in the church dedicated to the apostle Mar Addai.
The significance of the visit of Msgr. Nona to Karamles is deep, and it is bound to the tragic events that marked the history of Iraqi Christianity, and of the Chaldean church in particular, in recent years. It was in Karamles infact that in June 2007 was buried Father Ragheed Ganni, the young priest of Mosul killed in cold blood with three deacons of his church, and that for a year, before being transferred to Mosul in March 2009, rested the remains of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Raho, the predecessor of Msgr.Nona.
During his visit to Mar Addai church Msgr. Nona prayed on the tomb of Father Ragheed Ganni.
Iraq: Mons. Warduni (Baghdad) "Il digiuno di Ninive per la riconciliazione del paese"
Fonte: SIR
“Una penitenza per tutto l’Iraq”. Così il vicario patriarcale caldeo di Baghdad, mons. Shlemon Warduni, presenta al Sir il “Digiuno di Ninive”, che si apre oggi (fino al 27) e che fa memoria di quando, guidati dal profeta Giona, gli abitanti di Ninive si convertirono a Dio. “Preghiamo per tutti e non solo per noi. Abbiamo bisogno di fare penitenza per l’Iraq, perché il Signore conceda il dono della pace, della sicurezza e della stabilità al nostro Paese e al mondo intero”. La pratica, afferma il Vicario, “è molto seguita dai fedeli caldei i quali si astengono totalmente dal cibo dall’alba fino a mezzogiorno, e mangiando nel prosieguo della giornata solo verdure, rinunciando anche a pesce, carne e derivati del latte. Il tutto accompagnato dalla preghiera, al mattino o al pomeriggio. In questi momenti le chiese si affollano di fedeli”. Un’intenzione particolare del digiuno sarà rivolta anche al Sinodo per il medio Oriente di ottobre: “un momento molto importante per tutte le nostre Chiese – dichiara mons. Warduni – che si trovano in grandi difficoltà politiche, religiose, sociali, economiche e con il fondamentalismo e fanatismo che avanzano. Il nostro auspicio è che questa assemblea favorisca la comunione e l’unità dei cristiani mediorientali, quindi un rafforzamento per far sentire la nostra voce. La divisione, infatti, ci indebolisce e ci impoverisce”.
23 gennaio 2010
From Baghdad to Chicago, Redemptorist finds faith
Source: Catholic New World
Twice in his life has Fawaz Kako heard the airplanes overhead, the bombing and shooting and screaming of an air raid on Baghdad. The first time he was only 10, a young boy hiding beneath his desk and fleeing with his family to a safer place. The second time he sought to provide comfort as a Redemptorist brother, a worker in the Catholic Church to which so many flocked for shelter. Kako’s life as a Redemptorist has brought him from Iraq to Germany and now to Chicago, where he is studying at the Catholic Theological Union.
Kako grew up in Baghdad as the youngest of 10 children. At school, his teachers helped him learn Arabic, since Aramaic was his first language—one of five he speaks today.
“I remember my parents would tell me every morning before I left to school, ‘In case the teacher asks if you saw Mr. President on TV last night, say that yes you saw him, and my parents liked it—we all love Saddam—something like that,’” Kako recalls.
He also remembers finding a bit of irony in Saddam’s representation in his grade school classroom.
Twice in his life has Fawaz Kako heard the airplanes overhead, the bombing and shooting and screaming of an air raid on Baghdad. The first time he was only 10, a young boy hiding beneath his desk and fleeing with his family to a safer place. The second time he sought to provide comfort as a Redemptorist brother, a worker in the Catholic Church to which so many flocked for shelter. Kako’s life as a Redemptorist has brought him from Iraq to Germany and now to Chicago, where he is studying at the Catholic Theological Union.
Kako grew up in Baghdad as the youngest of 10 children. At school, his teachers helped him learn Arabic, since Aramaic was his first language—one of five he speaks today.
“I remember my parents would tell me every morning before I left to school, ‘In case the teacher asks if you saw Mr. President on TV last night, say that yes you saw him, and my parents liked it—we all love Saddam—something like that,’” Kako recalls.
He also remembers finding a bit of irony in Saddam’s representation in his grade school classroom.
“We had a picture hanging there of Saddam and every morning we’d say, ‘Good morning, Mr. President,’” said Kako. “But the funny thing was that the picture was above the trash can. ”
Kako’s experience growing up in Baghdad was very influenced by the Catholic Chaldean rite church, which tried to keep a balance between the Islamic society and a 1 percent minority of Christians.
The most vivid images he has from childhood are from the beginning of the Gulf War.
“I still remember the night—it was almost 2 a. m. and my family ran away from Baghdad to a place in the north of Iraq to find somewhere to be safe,” recalls Kako. “To add to the horrible war was my father’s face at our lack of food, our being 35 in a place that could only hold 10. I can still hear the airplanes bombing, the shooting, screaming.”
Four years later, he entered the seminary for the diocese of Baghdad, having been influenced by his grandmother.
“I was the 10th in the family and really I feel like my grandmother was a symbol for me, not just for motherhood but for a saint, a prayer,” said Kako.
At 14, he was also a child who had greatly looked up to the pastor of his church, a close friend of the family’s. But after spending four years in seminary, a great deal of reflection led him to choose a different religious path.
“When I was 18, I started raising all these questions and thinking about my vocation, my life, and my commitment to the people of God,” said Kako.
This time his influences were the poor of Iraqi society, his relation to these people, and a realization of how he might be his “best self. ”
“I find my calling to be with the poor and most abandoned of this world,” he said. “This is where I see God: not sitting in heaven but down here, in the face of every person, but more so in the faces of those who are facing difficulty in this world.”
One of his assignments with the Redemptorists was to work with a group of young people in one of the biggest churches in Baghdad.
“Hundreds of families wanted shelter to hide, so everyone came to the church,” he recalls. “They thought, ‘Since the pilot who is bombing us is Christian, he wouldn’t hit the church.’ If we were going to die, we were going to die in the house of God, it was the safest place: to be near God.”
In November of the same year he was sent to Germany to study theology at the University of Wurzburg, where he lived for almost two years. The Redemptorists then sent him to Glenview for his novitiate in 2005. There he was one in a large, multicultural group of novices and professed temporary vows Aug. 27, 2006.
Kako moved from Glenview to Chicago to study for a masters of divinity from Catholic Theological Union, which he will finish in May 2008.
The majority of his family has moved to Australia to escape the persecution of Christians, and he hasn’t seen his parents since he left Iraq.
“I was talking to my mom, and she says that ‘By the pictures, I wouldn’t recognize you on the street, but my heart would tell me, “‘This is my son,’” Kako explains.
Until his mother can see his face again, Kako will work towards helping those whose faces convey the God he lives to serve.
Kako’s experience growing up in Baghdad was very influenced by the Catholic Chaldean rite church, which tried to keep a balance between the Islamic society and a 1 percent minority of Christians.
The most vivid images he has from childhood are from the beginning of the Gulf War.
“I still remember the night—it was almost 2 a. m. and my family ran away from Baghdad to a place in the north of Iraq to find somewhere to be safe,” recalls Kako. “To add to the horrible war was my father’s face at our lack of food, our being 35 in a place that could only hold 10. I can still hear the airplanes bombing, the shooting, screaming.”
Four years later, he entered the seminary for the diocese of Baghdad, having been influenced by his grandmother.
“I was the 10th in the family and really I feel like my grandmother was a symbol for me, not just for motherhood but for a saint, a prayer,” said Kako.
At 14, he was also a child who had greatly looked up to the pastor of his church, a close friend of the family’s. But after spending four years in seminary, a great deal of reflection led him to choose a different religious path.
“When I was 18, I started raising all these questions and thinking about my vocation, my life, and my commitment to the people of God,” said Kako.
This time his influences were the poor of Iraqi society, his relation to these people, and a realization of how he might be his “best self. ”
“I find my calling to be with the poor and most abandoned of this world,” he said. “This is where I see God: not sitting in heaven but down here, in the face of every person, but more so in the faces of those who are facing difficulty in this world.”
One of his assignments with the Redemptorists was to work with a group of young people in one of the biggest churches in Baghdad.
“Hundreds of families wanted shelter to hide, so everyone came to the church,” he recalls. “They thought, ‘Since the pilot who is bombing us is Christian, he wouldn’t hit the church.’ If we were going to die, we were going to die in the house of God, it was the safest place: to be near God.”
In November of the same year he was sent to Germany to study theology at the University of Wurzburg, where he lived for almost two years. The Redemptorists then sent him to Glenview for his novitiate in 2005. There he was one in a large, multicultural group of novices and professed temporary vows Aug. 27, 2006.
Kako moved from Glenview to Chicago to study for a masters of divinity from Catholic Theological Union, which he will finish in May 2008.
The majority of his family has moved to Australia to escape the persecution of Christians, and he hasn’t seen his parents since he left Iraq.
“I was talking to my mom, and she says that ‘By the pictures, I wouldn’t recognize you on the street, but my heart would tell me, “‘This is my son,’” Kako explains.
Until his mother can see his face again, Kako will work towards helping those whose faces convey the God he lives to serve.
Stay or go: Christians in Mideast battle tough choices amid violence
Source: Catholic News Service
By Carol Glatz
A recent preparatory document for an October Synod of Bishops for the Middle East made a forceful appeal to the Christian minority there to resist emigration and to openly give witness to the Gospel values of hope, joy, justice and forgiveness in their native communities.But like most commandments -- that's easier said than done.
The synod outline said a strong faith would provide the courage for enduring the violence, persecution, prejudice and poverty that Christians in the Middle East often face today.
It's a drama that has already changed the Christian landscape in the region, according to church experts.
"To stay today in Iraq, you need to have a very profound conviction of the value of your faith" and a strong sense that the Christian presence is important for the country, said Father Leon Lemmens, secretary-general of the Vatican coordinating body of church funding agencies for Eastern Catholic churches, known by its Italian acronym, ROACO.
Msgr. Robert L. Stern, secretary-general of the Catholic Near East Welfare Association, said that when Christians feel threatened or that they don't belong, "you need a heroic sense of commitment on that occasion to say, 'I'm going to stay and I'm going to give witness.'"
The two priests spoke to Catholic News Service Jan. 20 during a break in a ROACO assembly at the Vatican.
Father Lemmens said he was amazed by the resolute dedication of the Christian leaders he met during a mid-November visit to Arbil in northern Iraq. "We all know it's not an easy choice, it's a risky choice" since people are keenly aware that priests and bishops have been threatened, kidnapped or killed because they were Christian, he said. The targeted killings and abductions have forced many priests to flee Iraq, resulting in a critical shortage, he said. For example, he said, it's estimated that there are only about 14 priests left to minister to perhaps 100,000 Christians in Baghdad.
"This is discouraging also to Christians; they say, 'The pastor has fled, why should the flock stay?'" he said.
Local bishops need to be very close to their priests, encouraging them to stay and bringing them together as a family, he said. So many Christians in the Middle East "are very often struggling alone and it should not be," he said. While many require material assistance, they also really need spiritual support through prayer and receiving letters, phone calls and visits from Christians from around the world, he added. Father Lemmens said Christians in the Middle East are accomplishing "an important, difficult mission."
The Middle East is the cradle of Christianity, Judaism and Islam, and it's critical that Christians continue to be present in order to witness the Gospel, showing compassion for the poor and dedication to justice, reconciliation and peace, he said. An active Christian presence in the Middle East can also help reverse the prejudice against or misinformation about the Catholic faith, he said. It's better that Muslims "really know Christians in a concrete way" and not through some distorted image given by the media, he said. But more importantly, if Christians and Muslims can live together in the Middle East, then it shows the rest of the world that they can live together peacefully in Europe, the Americas and Asia, he said. "Living together with people who are very different is part of globalization," and part of the way the future of the world is heading, said Father Lemmens. Peace is not achieved with ethnic cleansing or forcing parts of a community to leave, he said.
While strengthening Christian communities in the Middle East must be the church's first priority, Msgr. Stern said there comes a point in some situations when it must be decided what is more important: the people or the place they live. "Because if you are concerned about the people you want to make life as good as possible for them where they are," he said. But if people feel they must leave and there is no alternative, "then perhaps you assist them to migrate," he said. Even though the Holy Land and holy sites are "a very precious part of the world for us," Christians are "not as land-bound as the Muslims and the Jews," he said, because Christianity is called to be universal and to exist anywhere and everywhere.
"I think that it would be sad if the homeland of Christianity and the lands of the Bible had no Christians at all, but if it happens, we can live with it," said Msgr. Stern. He recalled the Gospel account of Jesus telling the Samaritan woman "the hour is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem ... when true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.""I think our first concern is the people -- Christians and all the people ... -- and if there is room for us to be there, fine. And if there is no peace for us to abide there then we, again like the Gospel, must shake the dust off our feet and the Christians move to where they can find peace," he said.
"Christians, by being really authentic followers of Jesus, have a very powerful message. And like the Lord they don't necessarily come out on top winning in a political or social sense, but ultimately they do" win new life, he said.
22 gennaio 2010
International Christian Concern 2009 Report
By Baghdadhope*
Source: ICC
International Christian Concern has released its annual report about The World’s Ten Worst Persecutors of Christians: Hall of Shame Report for year 2009.
Iraq is not listed among the ten countries examined. let's read why:
... ICC has made every attempt to release a report that is accurate and fair to all persecuted Christians, based upon hundreds of news sources and ICC in-country representatives. Although counties such as Egypt, Iraq, Uzbekistan and the Maldives have been omitted from this year’s list of top persecutors, ICC continues to monitor the severe persecution faced by Christians within their borders.
... It is important to note that a lack of published cases of persecution does not necessarily indicate a more relaxed condition for Christians. Christians are often unwilling to report cases of persecution committed against them from fear that they will attract additional persecution or expose their Christian affiliation to the government. In addition, many of the countries listed here do not have an independent press to report on their behalf, and some countries are considered too dangerous for foreign press to visit. The stories listed in the report below are a mere fraction of the total cases of persecution.
21 gennaio 2010
Sara Basam. 8 anni. Gravemente ferita a Mosul
By Baghdadhope*
Fonte delle notizie: Ankawa.com
Secondo il sito web Ankawa.com un ordigno esplosivo è esploso oggi pomeriggio nel quartiere di Hay Al Sa'a a Mosul di fronte ad una casa abitata da una famiglia cristiana ferendo gravemente Sara Basam, una bambina di 8 anni. (1)
Un ennesimo episodio di violenza a danno della comunità cristiana che non sa come difendersi se sono vere le testimonianze riportate secondo le quali per ordine del governatore della città, Athiel Abdul Aziz An-Nujaifi, le forze di sicurezza stanno impedendo ai cristiani di lasciare la città per dirigersi verso i villaggi della Piana di Ninive, la zona cuscinetto contesa da arabi e curdi che ha una forte componente cristiana. (2)
Sono iniziate intanto le dichiarazioni di prammatica a proposito della situazione a Mosul. Così il consiglio dei vescovi i Mosul ha rilasciato una lettera di condanna di tutti gli atti di violenza definiti come un insulto a Dio, appellandosi nello stesso tempo alla comunità cristiana perchè abbia fede e pazienza nella consapevolezza che questi attacchi non riusciranno a distruggere il modello di convivenza tra le diverse religioni che Mosul ha rappresentato in passato. (3)
Parole simili sono state espresse nel corso di una riunione organizzata dal governatore di Mosul e dal capo del consiglio provinciale di Ninive, Jabor Al-Abid, che ha visto protagonisti personalità religiose cristiane e musulmane, capi tribù e dignitari della città. Dell'appartenenza della comunità cristiana al tessuto cittadino ed al contributo da essa data alla sua storia ha parlato Athiel Abdul Aziz An-Nujaifi che ha anche invitato le forze di sicurezza a mantenere la sicurezza in città ed a proteggere i cristiani ed i loro luoghi di culto. (4)
Leggermente diverse sono invece le parole della dichiarazione ricevuta e riportata sempre da Ankawa.com del Patriarca della chiesa caldea, Cardinale Mar Emmanuel III Delly, che ha evitato di fare riferimento preciso alle violenze che stanno colpendo i cristiani preferendo mantenere un atteggiamento di basso profilo parlando di tutte le vittime: "figli della grande famiglia irachena" mai nominando esplicitamente la sua componente cristiana. (5)
Parole simili sono state espresse nel corso di una riunione organizzata dal governatore di Mosul e dal capo del consiglio provinciale di Ninive, Jabor Al-Abid, che ha visto protagonisti personalità religiose cristiane e musulmane, capi tribù e dignitari della città. Dell'appartenenza della comunità cristiana al tessuto cittadino ed al contributo da essa data alla sua storia ha parlato Athiel Abdul Aziz An-Nujaifi che ha anche invitato le forze di sicurezza a mantenere la sicurezza in città ed a proteggere i cristiani ed i loro luoghi di culto. (4)
Leggermente diverse sono invece le parole della dichiarazione ricevuta e riportata sempre da Ankawa.com del Patriarca della chiesa caldea, Cardinale Mar Emmanuel III Delly, che ha evitato di fare riferimento preciso alle violenze che stanno colpendo i cristiani preferendo mantenere un atteggiamento di basso profilo parlando di tutte le vittime: "figli della grande famiglia irachena" mai nominando esplicitamente la sua componente cristiana. (5)
Sara Basam. 8 years old. Severely injured in Mosul
By Baghdadhope*
Source of the news: Ankawa.com
According to the website Ankawa.com an explosive device exploded this afternoon in the neighborhood of Hay Al Sa'a in Mosul in front of a house inhabited by a Christian family, seriously injuring Sara Basam, an eight years old child. (1)
Source of the news: Ankawa.com
According to the website Ankawa.com an explosive device exploded this afternoon in the neighborhood of Hay Al Sa'a in Mosul in front of a house inhabited by a Christian family, seriously injuring Sara Basam, an eight years old child. (1)
An umpteenth episode of violence against the Christian community of Mosul that doesn't know how to defend itself if the testimonies according to which by command of the governor of the city, Abdul Aziz Athiel An-Nujaifi, security forces are preventing Christians to leave the city to go to the villages in the Nineveh Plain, the buffer zone claimed by Arabs and Kurds that has a strong Christian presence. (2)
In the meanwhile the customary declarations about the situation in Mosul started. So the council of bishops of Mosul issued a letter of condemnation of all acts of violence defined as an insult to God, asking at the same time to the Christian community to have faith and patience knowing that these attacks will not destroy the model of coexistence among the different religions that Mosul has been in the past. (3)
Similar words were expressed during a meeting organized by the governor of Mosul and the chairman of the Nineveh provincial council, Jabor Al-Abid, among Christian and Muslim religious figures, tribal leaders and dignitaries of the city. Of the belonging of the Christian community to the city fabric and of the contribution it has given to its history spoke Athiel An-Nujaifi Abdul Aziz who also urged the security forces to maintain security in the city and to protect Christians and their places of worship. (4)
Slightly different are the words of the declaration made by the Patriarch of the Chaldean Church, Cardinal Mar Emmanuel III Delly received and reported by Ankawa.com. Cardinal Delly avoided making specific reference to the violence affecting the Christians preferring to keep a low profile by speaking of all the victims: "sons of the great Iraqi family" never specifically mentioning its Christian component. (5)
20 gennaio 2010
Iraq: Mons. Sleiman (Baghdad) "Rompere il silenzio che circonda le uccisioni dei cristiani"
Fonte: SIR
“Rompiamo il muro di silenzio che avvolge le uccisioni dei cristiani a Mosul ed in Iraq”. E’ l’appello lanciato dall’arcivescovo di Baghdad dei latini, mons. Jean B. Sleiman, dopo gli ultimi assassini, tra domenica e lunedì, di due cristiani a Mosul. “I cristiani sono assassinati a Mossul e lo Stato non fa niente – dice al SIR l’arcivescovo - le forze dell’ordine in servizio nei luoghi degli attacchi e degli eccidi non vedono, non sentono, non parlano”. Una cortina di silenzio, secondo mons. Sleiman, alimentata anche dai media: “fatta una o due eccezioni, i mezzi di comunicazione sono pesantemente taciturni su questi assassini”. La paura torna tra i cristiani che riprendono la loro fuga dal Paese: “un nuovo esodo sta per incominciare. Ancora una volta dei cristiani sono sacrificati sull’altare delle politiche radicali di questo Paese”. Dal 7 di dicembre 2009 ad oggi a Mosul si sono registrati attacchi a diverse chiese, una studentessa cristiana è stata rapita, gli omicidi sono stati circa dieci, una bomba ha distrutto un bus che trasportava studenti cristiani a scuola, senza contare autobomba in diversi punti della città abitate da cristiani. Ieri sono stati i Lineamenta del prossimo Sinodo per il Medio Oriente in cui, tra l’altro, viene segnalata la difficile situazione dei cristiani iracheni, senza, tuttavia, parlare di persecuzione.
Iraq: Sleiman (Baghdad) "Break the wall of silence surrounding the killing of Christians"
Source: SIR
“Let's break the wall of silence surrounding the killing of Christians in Mosul and in Iraq”: the appeal was launched by Latin Archbishop of Baghdad Msgr. Jean B. Sleiman, after the latest killing of two Christians in Mosul, between Sunday and Monday. “Christians are murdered in Mosul and the State does nothing – said the archbishop to SIR; - the police in service in the places of attacks and massacres don't see, don't hear, and don't speak”. It is a curtain of silence according to Msgr. Sleiman, strengthened by media, too: “except for one or two cases, media are perfectly silent on these murders”. Fear grips Christians again, who are starting fleeing the country again: “A new exodus is about to begin. Once again, some Christians are sacrificed to pay homage to the radical policies of this country”. From 7 December 2009 to present days, in Mosul, several churches were attacked, a Christian student was kidnapped, murders were about ten, a bomb destroyed a bus taking Christian students to school, and car bombs exploded in several points of the city, where Christians live. Yesterday, the Lineamenta of the next Synod for the Middle East were presented; among other things, the difficult situation of Iraqi Christians was pointed out, without nevertheless talking about persecution.
19 gennaio 2010
MIDDLE EAST: Next steps for Iraqi refugees
Sources: IRIN, AlsumariaTV
Damascus, 19 January 2010 (IRIN)
18 January meeting in Damascus of over 50 NGOs and host country government representatives has mapped out the next steps in providing vital assistance and protection for Iraqi refugees across the Middle East.
The main product of the meeting is the 2010 Regional Response Plan for Iraqi Refugees (RRP), which also looked at minority groups in Iraq.
One of the Plan's most important elements is the closure of al-Tanf camp on the Iraqi-Syrian border. The camp - in no-man's land - is home to 1,000 Palestinian refugees from Iraq, most of whom are expected to be resettled in al-Hol camp, northeastern Syria by the end of 2010.
The Plan notes that of the 260,000 registered Iraqi refugees in Syria, less than 1,000 have sought assistance to return home under the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) voluntary repatriation programme. The lack of social services, employment opportunities and uncertainly surrounding planned Iraqi elections were among the reasons cited.
However, more and more refugees are reportedly returning home for short periods to collect pensions, or check on family and property.
Radhouane Nouicer, UNHCR Middle East and North Africa bureau chief, said refugee resettlement in a third country is not a solution and can only assist a small number. Nevertheless, around 20,000 Iraqi refugees in Syria and a further 10,000 in Jordan applied for third-country resettlement in 2009.
On the ground, many refugees are only looking west. Ali from Baghdad has been in Damascus since August 2006 and rules out returning to Iraq. "I hope to be resettled to Texas in the US within the next 12 months. I'm not thinking of Iraq, and nor are any of my friends and family from Iraq."
Strategic objectives
The RRP's strategic objectives will focus on ensuring refugees can continue to seek refuge in their host countries (in many states there is no legal framework regarding refugees, including those in the Gulf where 1,089 Iraqi individuals have been registered), and offering vocational training to those wishing to return to Iraq.
In Syria, RRP hopes to extend support for refugees in rural areas, with many parts of the country now suffering from drought.
The Plan also targets child labour by pursuing measures to get an additional 12,000 Iraqi children in Syria into school, bringing the total number to around 45,000.
Meanwhile a senior Syrian official has criticized the Iraqi government. Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad said: "We will not oblige any Iraqi person to go home unless they wish to do so voluntarily, but there must be a political will in Iraq to help. The country should be welcoming to all, regardless of religion, sect or political preference."
The main product of the meeting is the 2010 Regional Response Plan for Iraqi Refugees (RRP), which also looked at minority groups in Iraq.
One of the Plan's most important elements is the closure of al-Tanf camp on the Iraqi-Syrian border. The camp - in no-man's land - is home to 1,000 Palestinian refugees from Iraq, most of whom are expected to be resettled in al-Hol camp, northeastern Syria by the end of 2010.
The Plan notes that of the 260,000 registered Iraqi refugees in Syria, less than 1,000 have sought assistance to return home under the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) voluntary repatriation programme. The lack of social services, employment opportunities and uncertainly surrounding planned Iraqi elections were among the reasons cited.
However, more and more refugees are reportedly returning home for short periods to collect pensions, or check on family and property.
Radhouane Nouicer, UNHCR Middle East and North Africa bureau chief, said refugee resettlement in a third country is not a solution and can only assist a small number. Nevertheless, around 20,000 Iraqi refugees in Syria and a further 10,000 in Jordan applied for third-country resettlement in 2009.
On the ground, many refugees are only looking west. Ali from Baghdad has been in Damascus since August 2006 and rules out returning to Iraq. "I hope to be resettled to Texas in the US within the next 12 months. I'm not thinking of Iraq, and nor are any of my friends and family from Iraq."
Strategic objectives
The RRP's strategic objectives will focus on ensuring refugees can continue to seek refuge in their host countries (in many states there is no legal framework regarding refugees, including those in the Gulf where 1,089 Iraqi individuals have been registered), and offering vocational training to those wishing to return to Iraq.
In Syria, RRP hopes to extend support for refugees in rural areas, with many parts of the country now suffering from drought.
The Plan also targets child labour by pursuing measures to get an additional 12,000 Iraqi children in Syria into school, bringing the total number to around 45,000.
Meanwhile a senior Syrian official has criticized the Iraqi government. Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal al-Miqdad said: "We will not oblige any Iraqi person to go home unless they wish to do so voluntarily, but there must be a political will in Iraq to help. The country should be welcoming to all, regardless of religion, sect or political preference."
Lineamenta sinodo medio oriente ottobre 2010
Fonte: Vatican Information Service
CITTA' DEL VATICANO, 19 GEN. 2010 (VIS). L'Arcivescovo Nikola Eterovic, Segretario Generale del Sinodo dei Vescovi, ha presieduto questa mattina presso la Sala Stampa della Santa Sede la presentazione dei "Lineamenta" dell'Assemblea Speciale per il Medio Oriente del Sinodo dei Vescovi, in programma in Vaticano dal 10 al 24 ottobre 2010, sul tema: "La Chiesa Cattolica nel Medio Oriente: comunione e testimonianza: 'La moltitudine di coloro che erano diventati credenti aveva un cuore solo e un'anima sola'". (At 4,32).
I "Lineamenta", o prima bozza sul tema sinodale, pubblicati in italiano, inglese, francese e arabo, si compongono di una Introduzione, tre capitoli e una conclusione. Il testo comprende 32 domande relative ai temi trattati, le cui risposte devono pervenire, entro la solennità di Pasqua 2010. La sintesi di tali risposte formerà, in seguito, l''Instrumentum laboris', Documento di lavoro dell'Assise sinodale che il Santo Padre Benedetto XVI consegnerà ai rappresentanti delle Chiese Orientali Cattoliche durante la sua Visita Apostolica a Cipro dal 4 al 6 giugno prossimo". Nel Primo Capitolo: "La Chiesa Cattolica in Medio Oriente", si accenna brevemente "alla storia gloriosa delle Chiese di Oriente" e vengono presentate "le difficoltà attuali: i conflitti politici nella regione, menzionandone alcuni (Israele - Palestina, Iraq, Libano); la libertà di religione e di coscienza, lamentando non pochi ostacoli all'esercizio di tale diritto fondamentale della persona umana e di ogni comunità religiosa". "La comunione ecclesiale", titolo del Secondo Capitolo, "entra nella questione della comunione all'interno della Chiesa Cattolica e cioè tra le varie Chiese Orientali Cattoliche. (...) La comunione si esprime anche nei rapporti tra i Vescovi delle diverse Chiese Orientali Cattoliche come pure tra essi e i fedeli". L'Arcivescovo Eterovic ha proseguito illustrando il contenuto del terzo Capitolo "La testimonianza cristiana" ed ha precisato che: "Nel capitolo si tratta della testimonianza dei cattolici all'interno della Chiesa stessa, in particolare per mezzo della catechesi e delle opere, e al di fuori di essa". "Il dialogo con le altre Chiese e comunità cristiane" - ha detto l'Arcivescovo - "esiste ma ha bisogno di essere incrementato", ed ha menzionato che anche in Palestina e in Israele esistono "varie associazioni di dialogo ebraico-cristiano".
In merito ai rapporti con i musulmani, che occupano una parte rilevante del Documento, l'Arcivescovo Eterovic ha ribadito che occorre "promuovere di più il dialogo anche per conoscersi meglio" e intendere il dialogo "come il mezzo migliore per risolvere i problemi". Nella Conclusione "si ripropongono le ragioni non tanto di politica quanto di fede per cui è essenziale che i cristiani rimangano in Medio Oriente e continuino ad offrire il loro contributo specifico alla costruzione di una società giusta, pacifica e prospera".
Il Monsignore Fortunato Frezza, Sotto-Segretario del Sinodo dei Vescovi, ha affermato: "Quella che noi chiamiamo Terra Santa non è semplicemente una realtà geografica" perché "In questa piccola superficie, stretta tra mare e deserto, si svolsero anche i circa 2000 anni di storia del popolo ebreo, dalla venuta di Abramo fino alla dinastia degli Asmonei nel II secolo a. C., e, successivamente, la vicenda umana del Figlio di Dio fatto uomo e dei suoi discepoli ed apostoli". "Il Sinodo" - ha proseguito Monsignor Frezza - "si occuperà di tutto il Medio Oriente, dall'Asia Minore all'Iraq, e di questa vasta ed eterogenea area la Terra Santa è parte geografica, storicamente non secondaria, civilmente non trascurabile, spiritualmente eminente. Le tre religioni monoteiste infatti trovano in essa, specificamente a Gerusalemme, in modo proprio a ciascuna, radici e vincoli vitali". "Questi vincoli vitali interessano direttamente la fase originaria delle tre religioni, storiche, ma ci si domanda se l'appartenenza a questa porzione del territorio mediorientale possa fomentare la coscienza dell'autenticità e della purezza delle fede e della prassi religiosa. Inoltre ci si interroga" - ha concluso Monsignor Frezza - "se la comune terra di origine e di convivenza possa favorire la reciprocità nel riconoscimento e nel rispetto fino ad influenzare positivamente le relazioni nell'intera area mediorientale".
The Christians of St.Thomas in London
Source: Ankawa.com, January 18th, 2010
By Robert Ewan
By Robert Ewan
The Chaldeans are a continuation of all the indigenous people of Mesopotamia (modern Iraq); they are amongst the early Christians of the world. They embraced Christianity at the hands of St. Thomas the apostle in his journey to India during the first century. Followed by Mar Addai one of the seventy apostils of the Lord and then followed by his own disciple Mar Mari. The Chaldean Catholic Church was established in 1553 when it was approved by Pope Julius III. He appointed a Patriarch of the Chaldeans and the church is one of the Eighteen Eastern rights recognised by the Holy Sea. One of the magnificence of the Chaldean Church is the right of the Divine Liturgy that the Chaldean Church until this moment practices and comes from Jesus’ apostils Addai and Mari. It is the most ancient and original Holy liturgy in the entire world from the first century performed in Aramaic, the language of Jesus Christ. The Eucharistic celebration is based, for its instructional segment, on the encounter of the risen lord with the two disciples in their journey to Emmaus.
The vanguard of the Catholic Chaldeans landed on the shores of Britain in the early part of the 20th century. It is assumed that the first Iraqi Catholic Chaldean to live in the UK was Alphonse Mingana. He was invited to England in 1913 by J.Rendel Harris, Director of studies at woodbrook Quaker Study Centre based at selly oak near Birmingham. He stayed at centre for two years where he met his future wife, Emma Sophie Floor, a Norwegian student. They married in 1915 in the same year Mingana was appointed to the staff of John Rylands Library in Manchester. His role was to catalogue the library’s impressive collection of Arabic and Syriac Manuscript’s he resided in Manchester and taught Arabic at its University till 1932 were he had two children, John and Marie.The Chaldean Patriarch Immanuel visited Britain in 1920 to reveal to the authorities the damages that befell on the Christians in Iraq and Turkey as the consequences of First World War and the atrocities that were committed against them. Patriarch Yousuf Ghanima VII also visited Britain in 1950 to meet the small community that existed.It is believed that over one hundred families settled in United Kingdom during the 1970’s. Most of them were academics or in businesses preferring to live in the UK. Then the number gradually increased due to the pernicious Iran-Iraq war in the eighties. Without a priest of their own/many of the Chaldeans in UK attended Roman Catholic churches for weddings and special events such as baptisim, funerals they often attended their local parishes. With the Chaldean community growing rapidly in UK Patriarch Paulous Sheikho appointed Father Phillipe Najim in 1986 as the Mission’s pastor. Mass was held at St. Anne‘s R. C. Church in London (near Laxton Place). The community’s appetency for practising their faith and solidarity continued unabated. There were several fund raising activities which resulted in purchasing the Mission’s current residency in West Ealing. Father Andraous Abbouna was appointed by his beatitude Raphael I Bidawid in 1991 as the new Mission Pastor to serve the Chaldean and Syriac Catholics of Iraq. Father Andraous was later ordained a Bishop by Pope John Paul II in Rome. Subsequently, he was appointed to the post of assistant Patriarch to Immanuel Dally III based in Baghdad.
Fr Habib Jajou was appointed by his beatitude Raphael I Bidawid in 2003 to take over the Mission. He and the Service Committees continued to carry the torch of progress for the community.Father Habib Jajou was born in the village of Baqofa, Northern Iraq in 1960. He was one of eight children. Whilst a teenager he felt the call to priesthood running within his veins. He is a Geology graduate from Mousel University in 1982. During the eighties the dreaded Iran-Iraq war (1980-1988) was ragging with its bloodbath descending on all Iraqis. Father Habib served in the frontline, in trenches with Christian and Muslim Iraqi soldiers. He says “I prayed the rosary all day, listening to cassettes and reading in the Bible and spiritual books giving me strength and courage. The Muslim soldiers were also praying. We were brothers in arms”. He was discharged from the army in 1991. As in his teenage years, he felt the call for priesthood once again but this time was free from the army and able to answer the call. He joined and graduated from Babel Pontifical College in Baghdad and was ordained priest in 1998. He was appointed pastor of St. George Chaldean church in al-Ghadeer District (South East of Baghdad).With the continuous increase of parishioners were the majority of them living in west London the congregation moved its place of worship to the Holly Family Catholic Church in Acton (Vale Lane, W3 0DY) in August 2004. Currently the mission numbers about three thousand parishioners. Approximately 400 families reside in and around London and about 250 families reside outside London with the main concentration in Surrey and Cardiff.
The mission Today
The Mission continues in its progress and growth. Currently there are four main committees that run the missions affairs. There are sixteen committee members and over seventy active helpers for the mission.The Pastoral committee organised talks, parties, picnics, trips and luncheons and leads the way in improving the social life of the mission. The members look after the elderly, sick, and new refugees. They work with the groups of the other Eastern churches in London. The family gathering day proved to be extremely popular as it truly created a fraternal way of gathering. The Liturgy committee plans liturgies for Christmas, Easter and all other occasions. The liturgical activities include organising masses, baptism, engagement, and marriage preparation. There are approximately 20 baptisms per year, 10 weddings per year and four deaths. The Choir group has been established over 15 years and it leads the singing at the 12:30 mass on Sunday and on festive days. The cultural/education committee is committed in improving the Christian teaching level. The prayer and Bible study group meets with the Parish Pastor in the parishioners home to study the Bible and pray together in order to develop their faith and understanding the word of God. The mission’s Cultural activities are considered the strongest with several publications notably Al-Qeethara (the Harp) a monthly religious and cultural magazine in Arabic and English (101 issues). Mesopotamia, an English newsletter published once every two months (19 issues), with a further 13 different publications. Additionally the mission completed production over 2300 CDs on audio visual of prayers and hymns both in English and Arabic. Finally, the Mission has a very informative Website that is updated on weekly basis. The Finance Committee is responsible for all the mission’s finances and strives to find new ways to finance and support the mission.The Mission also offers charity helps, educate and train its members and support poor families. Additionally, the parish strives to increase the closeness of the community. The Mission’s activities continue to expand without abating thanks to the enthusiasm of the helpers who enjoy contributing to its success.Father Habib says: "The Chaldeans in the UK or as part of the Diaspora remain a vibrant and productive people contributing to the greater society at large while still maintain their language, customs and their cherished religious beliefs". As Iraq loses all semblance of order, the carefully calibrated repressions and attacks against Christians have risen in Iraq.
The Mission continues in its progress and growth. Currently there are four main committees that run the missions affairs. There are sixteen committee members and over seventy active helpers for the mission.The Pastoral committee organised talks, parties, picnics, trips and luncheons and leads the way in improving the social life of the mission. The members look after the elderly, sick, and new refugees. They work with the groups of the other Eastern churches in London. The family gathering day proved to be extremely popular as it truly created a fraternal way of gathering. The Liturgy committee plans liturgies for Christmas, Easter and all other occasions. The liturgical activities include organising masses, baptism, engagement, and marriage preparation. There are approximately 20 baptisms per year, 10 weddings per year and four deaths. The Choir group has been established over 15 years and it leads the singing at the 12:30 mass on Sunday and on festive days. The cultural/education committee is committed in improving the Christian teaching level. The prayer and Bible study group meets with the Parish Pastor in the parishioners home to study the Bible and pray together in order to develop their faith and understanding the word of God. The mission’s Cultural activities are considered the strongest with several publications notably Al-Qeethara (the Harp) a monthly religious and cultural magazine in Arabic and English (101 issues). Mesopotamia, an English newsletter published once every two months (19 issues), with a further 13 different publications. Additionally the mission completed production over 2300 CDs on audio visual of prayers and hymns both in English and Arabic. Finally, the Mission has a very informative Website that is updated on weekly basis. The Finance Committee is responsible for all the mission’s finances and strives to find new ways to finance and support the mission.The Mission also offers charity helps, educate and train its members and support poor families. Additionally, the parish strives to increase the closeness of the community. The Mission’s activities continue to expand without abating thanks to the enthusiasm of the helpers who enjoy contributing to its success.Father Habib says: "The Chaldeans in the UK or as part of the Diaspora remain a vibrant and productive people contributing to the greater society at large while still maintain their language, customs and their cherished religious beliefs". As Iraq loses all semblance of order, the carefully calibrated repressions and attacks against Christians have risen in Iraq.
Many churches have been bombed, looted and vandalized forcing many Christians of all denominations to flee to its neighboring countries the community feels the anguish of their relatives and loved ones in Iraq.
Father Habib says: "Our ultimate aim is to secure a place of worship that truly belongs to the community. We are looking to buy our own place of worship such as a church or hall in London to help us carry our purposes towards our people". He adds: "This is the least of our worries as we thing of all those Christians in Iraq. They are in our thoughts and prayers every day so that they overcome their difficulties and the suffering they are enduring".
To find out more about the Chaldean Mission:Chaldean Catholic Mission, 38 Cavendish Avenue,Ealing, London W13 0JQ, tel/fax: 0208 997 6370 mission website: www.chaldean.org.uk
Father Habib says: "Our ultimate aim is to secure a place of worship that truly belongs to the community. We are looking to buy our own place of worship such as a church or hall in London to help us carry our purposes towards our people". He adds: "This is the least of our worries as we thing of all those Christians in Iraq. They are in our thoughts and prayers every day so that they overcome their difficulties and the suffering they are enduring".
To find out more about the Chaldean Mission:Chaldean Catholic Mission, 38 Cavendish Avenue,Ealing, London W13 0JQ, tel/fax: 0208 997 6370 mission website: www.chaldean.org.uk
18 gennaio 2010
Il digiuno di Ninive
By Baghdadhope*
Il 26, 26 e 27 gennaio alcune chiese orientali celebreranno il "Digiuno di Ninive" o "Ba-oota d' Ninevayee" in memoria di quando, guidati dal Profeta Giona, gli abitanti di quella città si convertirono alla fede in Dio.
Ma cos’è il “Digiuno di Ninive?” Da I caldei celebrano il "Digiuno di Ninive" By Baghdadhope
Dal libro di Giona.
3:1 Fu rivolta a Giona una seconda volta questa parola del Signore:
2 «Alzati, va' a Ninive la grande città e annunzia loro quanto ti dirò».
3 Giona si alzò e andò a Ninive secondo la parola del Signore. Ninive era una città molto grande, di tre giornate di cammino.
4 Giona cominciò a percorrere la città, per un giorno di cammino e predicava: «Ancora quaranta giorni e Ninive sarà distrutta».
5 I cittadini di Ninive credettero a Dio e bandirono un digiuno, vestirono il sacco, dal più grande al più piccolo.
6 Giunta la notizia fino al re di Ninive, egli si alzò dal trono, si tolse il manto, si coprì di sacco e si mise a sedere sulla cenere.
7 Poi fu proclamato in Ninive questo decreto, per ordine del re e dei suoi grandi: «Uomini e animali, grandi e piccoli, non gustino nulla, non pascolino, non bevano acqua.
8 Uomini e bestie si coprano di sacco e si invochi Dio con tutte le forze; ognuno si converta dalla sua condotta malvagia e dalla violenza che è nelle sue mani.
9 Chi sa che Dio non cambi, si impietosisca, deponga il suo ardente sdegno sì che noi non moriamo?».
10 Dio vide le loro opere, che cioè si erano convertiti dalla loro condotta malvagia, e Dio si impietosì riguardo al male che aveva minacciato di fare loro e non lo fece.
Il periodo di digiuno e preghiera, lontano dai 40 giorni biblici, si celebra il lunedì, il martedì ed il mercoledì della quinta settimana dell’anno solare, due settimane prima dell’inizio della Quaresima. L’offerta dei fedeli varia, è può andare da un digiuno completo per i tre giorni, da un digiuno dall’alba al tramonto o dall’astenersi nel mangiare pesce, carne e derivati del latte.“A paragone di quel pentimento il nostro è un sogno,a paragone di quella supplica la nostra non è che un’ombra”Con queste parole Mar Aprim il Grande descriveva, nel IV secolo, il digiuno dei fedeli della sua epoca paragonato a quello dei tempi biblici.Dimenticata per un lungo periodo, la tradizione del Digiuno di Ninive fu rinnovata nel VI secolo quando i vescovi di Ninive e Beth Garmee decisero di riprenderla nella speranza che ciò potesse aiutare la popolazione piagata da una pestilenza. Ad essi si unì il Patriarca Ezechiele che dichiarando un digiuno di tre giorni ordinò che esso fosse osservato per sempre.
Dal punto di vista liturgico il Digiuno di Ninive nella tradizione caldea viene celebrato durante la Santa Messa con la III Anafora di Nestorio, usata nell’anno liturgico solo altre quattro volte: il Giovedì Santo, l’Epifania, il giorno della festa del Corpo dei Maestri Greci e di San Giovanni Battista.
Fonti:La Sacra Bibbia
La nascita della Chiesa Caldea. Padre Fadi Philippe Habib.
Ba-oota d' Ninevayee or the Fast of the Ninevites. William Warda
Leggi anche su 30 giorni le parole dell'allora Prefetto per la Congregazione della Fede, Cardinale Joseph Ratzinger, sulla predicazione del profeta Giona nella città di Ninive.
Le suppliche degli abitanti di Ninive in sureth ed inglese
Audio: Preghiere ed inni per il "Digiuno di Ninive" in lingua originale
Life in hell
Source: Foreign Policy
Almost seven years later, the most catastrophic legacy of the Iraq war is shaping up to be the more than 2 million refugees who are locked in limbo on its borders with no hope of moving on. Here's what daily life is like in the monotonous depths of a humanitarian nightmare.
By Kathrin Schulz, January 12, 2010
Almost seven years later, the most catastrophic legacy of the Iraq war is shaping up to be the more than 2 million refugees who are locked in limbo on its borders with no hope of moving on. Here's what daily life is like in the monotonous depths of a humanitarian nightmare.
By Kathrin Schulz, January 12, 2010
Iraq, terrorista di al-Qaeda confessa: "Così uccidevo i cristiani a Mosul"
Fonte: IGN
Baghdad, 18 gen. - (Adnkronos/Aki) - "Sono stato reclutato da un imam pakistano a Londra, che mi ha pagato per unirmi ad al-Qaeda in Iraq e mi ha detto che era lecito uccidere i cristiani". E' con queste parole che l'ex mufti di al-Qaeda a Mosul, il terrorista Muhammad Ramzi Shihab, racconta in una sua confessione come e perché uccideva i cristiani iracheni della provincia di Ninive. La tv satellitare 'al-Arabiya' ha trasmesso parte della sua confessione, mostrata ai giornalisti oggi durante una conferenza stampa tenuta dal portavoce del ministero della Difesa iracheno, Muhammad al-Askari, a Baghdad.
Ero solito decapitare i cristiani che non volevano pagarmi la 'jizia' (tassa per i cristiani prevista dalla sharia ndr) - afferma il terrorista nel video - l'imam pakistano mi ha nominato mufti e ho emanato una fatwa ordinando di decapitare un insegnate cristiano e un'altra contro un commerciante cristiano che non voleva pagare la 'jizia'".
Shihab aveva emanato anche una fatwa che rendeva lecita l'uccisione di tre donne accusate di aver dato informazioni alla polizia, così come ha ammesso di aver "pianificato un attentato avvenuto nel villaggio di al-Khazana".
Il terrorista aveva preso di mira anche una minoranza sciita presente nel nord del paese. Il portavoce del ministero della Difesa ha mostrato anche le confessioni di altri otto terroristi, chiedendo alle famiglie delle loro vittime di sporgere denuncia contro di loro alla magistratura.
Tra le persone arrestate c'è anche un siriano, Azmi Dari Muhammad, di Homs, arrestato mentre si camuffava con abiti femminili. "Era addetto ad arruolare donne - ha spiegato il portavoce del ministero - che avrebbero lavorato come domestiche per le persone importanti della zona, in modo da raccogliere informazioni utili per il gruppo. Trasportava anche armi, evitando i controlli della polizia in quando scambiato per una donna".
Christianity is dying in Mosul (II)
By Baghdadhope*
Ankawa.com website, attentive and close observer of what concerns the Iraqi Christians, expressed today an evaluation identical to the one expressed by this blog only yesterday, (Christianity is dying in Mosul) and according to which there is a change in the tactic of threats to the Christian community that now seems to exclude big attacks that can, just for their entity, attract protests in favour of aimed attacks to individuals that spread terror in the community. Such evaluation has been expressed reporting the news about the killing of another Christian in the norther neighbourhood of Hay Assadiq, the 45 years old Hamiad Abdalahad Kagho, and that about which according to some sources of Ankawa.com the aimed killings are occurring in areas of the city where the presence of police forces is heavy.
According to the sources cited, the 52 years old Abdallah Youssif Jirgis, killed in cold blood in front of his greengrocer's, shouted before falling on the ground, his corpse was mutilated of some fingers and his killer after shooting in the air went away undisturbed by feet.
Everything happened in an area in police control that for this reason should be considered as "safe".
All considering we can't avoid remembering the words of Msgr. Shleimun Warduni who by mid December of last year, following the repeated attacks to the churches in Mosul, declared that the Christian community was tired of the beautiful words that always in mourning occasions are wasted, and that it was time for the promises of protection made by the government to become facts.
If this is the trend it is certain that the government will not be worried any more: there is no need to protect the one who has fled.
La cristianità muore a Mosul (II)
By Baghdadhope*
Il sito web Ankawa.com, attento e vicino osservatore delle questioni legate agli iracheni di fede cristiana, ha espresso oggi una valutazione uguale a quella espressa da questo blog solo ieri, (La cristianità muore a Mosul) quella cioè di un cambiamento nella tattica di intimidazione della comunità cristiana che pare escluda i grossi attentati capaci, per la loro entità, di attirare proteste, a favore di attacchi mirati ai singoli in grado di spargere il terrore nella comunità.
Una tale valutazione ha accompagnato la notizia dell'uccisione di un altro cristiano nel quartiere settentrionale di Hay Assadiq, il quarantacinquenne Hamiad Abdalahad Kagho, e quella che, secondo alcune fonti di Ankawa.com gli omicidi stanno accadendo in aree della città dove forte è la presenza delle forze di polizia.
Secondo queste fonti, ad esempio, il cinquantaduenne Sa'adallah Yousef Girgis, ucciso a sangue freddo davanti al suo negozio di frutta e verdura avrebbe gridato prima di cadere a terra, gli sarebbero state mozzate dagli assassini alcune dita e gli stessi assassini dopo aver sparato dei colpi in aria si sarebbero allontanati indisturbati a piedi. Il tutto, appunto in un'area controllata dalla polizia che per questo si dovrebbe poter dire "sicura".
Tutto ciò considerato non si può fare a meno di ricordare l'appello che Mons. Shleimun Warduni lanciò a metà dicembre dello scorso anno, quando, a seguito dei ripetuti attacchi alle chiese di Mosul dichiarò che la comunità era stanca delle belle parole di solidarietà che sempre nelle occasioni di lutto vengono sprecate, e che era ora che le promesse di protezione fatte dal governo diventassero fatti.
Se andrà avanti così una cosa è certa, il governo non dovrà più preoccuparsi: non si protegge chi non c'è più.
17 gennaio 2010
Christianity is dying in Mosul
By Baghdadhope*
News source: Ankawa.com
Many are the methods to make a community feel itself as not accepted in a place. No one can say each of them has not been tried in Mosul. The web site Ankawa.com reports today the umpteenth killing of a member of the Christian community.
Sa'adallah Yousef Girgis, or Abu Saif, "father of Saif" as he was called in homage to his first male son's name, was 52 years old, he was married, he used to sell vegetables in Mosul and he was killed in cold blood by many shots while working.
Killings of civilians, priests and a bishop, abductions, threats, forced evictions. To the Christians in Mosul are old story. Every method is good to threat them and force them to flee maybe to "clean" the city from every non islamic element, certainly to take possession of their houses, their trades, their jobs.
They cannot kill them all. Someone would survive, and such an action could draw the international attention - however careful in linking the words genocide and Christians - but it's possible to terrorize them so to make them "emigrate voluntarily" being certain that the flee of a single individual - a slow agony for a community - will disappear in the cauldron of the stories of all the refugees in the world.
Maybe it will happen for the Christian students of Mosul university in the light of what happened some days ago and that in Italy are usually called "mafia threats".
On January 10 the explosion of an explosive device hidden behind one of the back wheels of one of the about 20 buses used by the students to go to Mosul from the near city of Bakhdida caused the wounding of some of them. The explosion took place in the garage where the bus was parked waiting for the sudents to be taken back home.
Five of them were slightly wounded by the glasses of the bus and three of them, the sisters Wafa and Nada Youssef Alqassab and a boy, Karim Younadam, were more seriously injured. According to some sources of Ankawa.com the dean of Mosul university immediately charged the engineering department to create a protection device for the buses that take back and forth the Christian students, police began an investigation and even arrested a suspect: a student of the same university living in the district of Telafar. Despite that on January 16 another explosive device, detonated by police bomb disposal experts in a safe area, has been found on a bus this time when it was still near Bakhdida.
Will we be surprised in discovering that a student from Bakhdida, Iraq, is trying to go on with his life somewhere else? Maybe in our city?
But, what we would do if we were him?
La cristianità muore a Mosul
By Baghdadhope*
Fonte delle notizie: Ankawa.com
Ci sono molti modi per far sentire una comunità non ben accetta in un luogo. A Mosul non si può dire non li abbiano provati tutti. E' di oggi la notizia riportata dal sito Ankawa.com dell'ennesimo assassinio di un membro della comunità cristiana.
Abu Saif, "padre di Saif" come lo chiamavano in omaggio al nome del suo primo figlio maschio, si chiamava Sa'adallah Yousef Girgis, aveva 52 anni, era sposato, vendeva frutta e verdura a Mosul ed è stato ucciso a sangue freddo da diversi colpi di pistola sparatigli da uomini sconosciuti proprio mentre era al lavoro.
Assassinii di civili, sacerdoti e vescovi, rapimenti, intimidazioni, sgomberi. Per i cristiani di Mosul sono storia vecchia. Ogni metodo è buono per intimidirli e costringerli alla fuga forse per "pulire" la città da ogni elemento non islamico, certamente per impossessarsi delle loro case, delle loro attività commerciali, dei loro posti di lavoro.
Non è possibile ucciderli tutti. Qualcuno rimarrebbe, ed una simile azione potrebbe attirare l'attenzione internazionale - peraltro sempre prudente nell'associare il termine genocidio a quello dei cristiani - ma è possibile terrorizzarli al punto da farli "volontariamente emigrare" con la certezza che la fuga dei singoli - una lenta agonia per la comunità - si perderà nel calderone delle storie di tutti i profughi del mondo.
Forse succederà, ad esempio, per gli studenti cristiani dell'università di Mosul alla luce di quelle che in Italia normalmente si chiamerebbero "intimidazioni mafiose" avvenute giorni orsono.
Il 10 gennaio l'esplosione di un ordigno esplosivo piazzato su una delle ruote posteriori di uno dei circa 20 autobus che trasportano gli studenti a Mosul dalla vicina cittadina di Bakhdida ha causato il ferimento di alcuni di loro. L'esplosione è avvenuta nel garage dove l'autobus era parcheggiato in attesa degli studenti da riportare a casa. Cinque di loro sono rimasti leggermente feriti dai vetri del mezzo e tre di loro, le sorelle Wafa e Nada Youssef Alqassab e un ragazzo, Karim Younadam, hanno sofferto ferite più gravi. Secondo alcune fonti di Ankawa.com il preside dell'università avrebbe immediatamente incaricato il dipartimento di ingegneria di costruire delle protezioni per gli autobus che trasportano gli studenti cristiani, la polizia ha avviato delle indagini ed addirittura catturato un sospetto: uno studente della stessa università residente nella provincia di Telafar. Nonostante ciò il 16 gennaio un altro ordigno, fatto detonare dagli artificeri della polizia in un'area sicura, è stato ritrovato su un autobus questa volta quando ancora era nei pressi di Bakhdida.
Ci stupiremo quando scopriremo che uno studente di Bakhdida, Iraq, cercherà di continuare la sua vita altrove? Magari proprio nella nostra città?
Ma noi, cosa faremmo al suo posto?
Iraq, Tareq Aziz ricoverato: "E' grave"
Fonte: La Stampa
WASHINGTON. L’ex vicepremier ed ex ministro degli esteri iracheno Tareq Aziz, è stato colpito da un «attacco» in carcere l’altro ieri e si trova ora ricoverato in ospedale in una base Usa in «condizioni gravi». Lo ha detto oggi l’avvocato dell’ex gerarca di Saddam Hussein, Badia Aref. «Ha avuto un attacco venerdì ed è stato trasferito in un ospedale presso la base americana di Balad», a nord di Baghdad, ha detto dalla capitale giordana, Amman, l’avvocato Aref, senza specificare se si sia trattato di infarto, di ictus o di altro. «È in gravi condizioni», ha aggiunto.
Unico cristiano fra gli alti gerarchi di Saddam, Tareq Aziz, 73 anni, si mise in luce per la sua abilità negoziale ed ebbe un ruolo importante nel procacciarsi il favore degli Stati Uniti per l’invasione dell’Iran nel 1980, divenendo poi il volto più gradito dell’Iraq presso le cancellerie occidentali dopo l’invasione del Kuwait nel 1990 e la conseguente Guerra del Golfo. Ricercato con gli altri gerarchi dopo l’invasione dell’ Iraq, si consegna spontaneamente alle truppe americane alla fine di aprile del 2003. Nel marzo dello scorso anno è stato condannato dalla giustizia irachena in primo grado a 15 anni di carcere per «crimini contro l’Umanità» per il suo ruolo nell’esecuzione di 42 commercianti e uomini d’affari a Baghdad nel 1992 e lo scorso agosto a sette anni dall’Alta corte penale irachena per il suo ruolo nella deportazione di popolazioni curde alle regioni petrolifere del nord iracheno. Malgrado gli appelli dei suoi familiari perchè‚ sia scarcerato per motivi di salute, Aziz è detenuto in un carcere nei pressi di Baghdad.
Tariq Aziz suffers severe stroke
Source: Aljazeera.net
Tariq Aziz, Iraq's former deputy prime minister, has been hospitalised after suffering a severe stroke.
Ziad, Tariq Aziz's son, said on Sunday that his father had lost the ability to speak after falling ill on Friday.
He was rushed to a hospital in Balad, north of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad on Thursday.
"He fell to the floor in his jail cell and we were told afterwards that he lost his speech completely," his son told the Associated Press news agency.
'Condition serious'
Badie Aref, Aziz's lawyer, confirmed the report.
"His condition is serious and they will decide today whether he stays in hospital or should be returned to Camp Cropper," Aref told the AFP news agency, referring to a US-run prison where Aziz has been detained.
Lieutenant Colonel Pat Johnson, a spokesman for the US army in Iraq, said Aziz's condition was "improving but he is still being closely monitored".
Iraq's highest court sentenced Aziz and Ali Hassan al-Majid, a power-broker in Saddam Hussein's former government, to 15 years in jail last March.
The pair were convicted of crimes against humanity in regards to the killing of 42 Baghdad merchants in 1992.
Al-Majid and Aziz are also among 16 former officials on trial for a violent campaign against Shia Kurds.
They are accused of gassing members of the Fayli Kurdish community as part of a chemical weapons testing programme during Iraq's war with neighbouring Iran from 1980 to 1988.
Aziz surrendered to US forces in April 2003 after Saddam Hussein's government was overthrown.
Ziad, Tariq Aziz's son, said on Sunday that his father had lost the ability to speak after falling ill on Friday.
He was rushed to a hospital in Balad, north of the Iraqi capital, Baghdad on Thursday.
"He fell to the floor in his jail cell and we were told afterwards that he lost his speech completely," his son told the Associated Press news agency.
'Condition serious'
Badie Aref, Aziz's lawyer, confirmed the report.
"His condition is serious and they will decide today whether he stays in hospital or should be returned to Camp Cropper," Aref told the AFP news agency, referring to a US-run prison where Aziz has been detained.
Lieutenant Colonel Pat Johnson, a spokesman for the US army in Iraq, said Aziz's condition was "improving but he is still being closely monitored".
Iraq's highest court sentenced Aziz and Ali Hassan al-Majid, a power-broker in Saddam Hussein's former government, to 15 years in jail last March.
The pair were convicted of crimes against humanity in regards to the killing of 42 Baghdad merchants in 1992.
Al-Majid and Aziz are also among 16 former officials on trial for a violent campaign against Shia Kurds.
They are accused of gassing members of the Fayli Kurdish community as part of a chemical weapons testing programme during Iraq's war with neighbouring Iran from 1980 to 1988.
Aziz surrendered to US forces in April 2003 after Saddam Hussein's government was overthrown.
Tariq Aziz's profile by Al Jazeera.net. Click here
16 gennaio 2010
Incontro in Vaticano dedicato al clero delle Chiese cattoliche orientali
Fonte: ZENIT
CITTA' DEL VATICANO, venerdì, 15 gennaio 2010
Dal 19 al 20 gennaio prossimi si terrà in Vaticano l’82° sessione della R.O.A.C.O. (Riunione delle Opere in Aiuto alle Chiese Orientali), dedicata quest'anno, in occasione dell'Anno Sacerdotale, al tema del sostentamento del clero delle Chiese cattoliche orientali, particolarmente in Europa centrale ed orientale e nel Medio Oriente.
“Dopo la svolta dell’89 – si legge in una nota della Congregazione per le Chiese Orientali – , le Chiese cattoliche orientali dell’Europa centrale e orientale hanno avuto la gioia di poter ordinare numerosi giovani preti, anche sposati secondo la antica tradizione delle loro Chiese”.
“A motivo delle modeste condizioni economiche dei loro paesi e dell’assenza di strutture ecclesiastiche di autofinanziamento – continua la nota –, il sostentamento dei sacerdoti è stato in gran parte garantito dalle Chiese dell’Occidente tramite le Agenzie di aiuto, membri della R.O.A.C.O.”.
Per questo, si afferma, “dopo venti anni è venuto il momento di una valutazione in vista di una efficace progettazione per il futuro”. Per i sacerdoti nel Medio Oriente, invece, la riflessione si concentrerà piuttosto sulla previdenza sanitaria e di anzianità. La sessione dedicherà, inoltre, una speciale attenzione alla situazione delle Chiese Cattoliche Orientali in Eritrea, Etiopia e Iraq.
“Dopo la svolta dell’89 – si legge in una nota della Congregazione per le Chiese Orientali – , le Chiese cattoliche orientali dell’Europa centrale e orientale hanno avuto la gioia di poter ordinare numerosi giovani preti, anche sposati secondo la antica tradizione delle loro Chiese”.
“A motivo delle modeste condizioni economiche dei loro paesi e dell’assenza di strutture ecclesiastiche di autofinanziamento – continua la nota –, il sostentamento dei sacerdoti è stato in gran parte garantito dalle Chiese dell’Occidente tramite le Agenzie di aiuto, membri della R.O.A.C.O.”.
Per questo, si afferma, “dopo venti anni è venuto il momento di una valutazione in vista di una efficace progettazione per il futuro”. Per i sacerdoti nel Medio Oriente, invece, la riflessione si concentrerà piuttosto sulla previdenza sanitaria e di anzianità. La sessione dedicherà, inoltre, una speciale attenzione alla situazione delle Chiese Cattoliche Orientali in Eritrea, Etiopia e Iraq.
Le riunioni avranno luogo nella Sala delle Conferenze del Pontificio Consiglio per la Promozione dell’Unità dei Cristiani in Via della Conciliazione 5. Parteciperanno i rappresentanti di circa 20 Agenzie cattoliche, provenienti da 10 Paesi occidentali. Saranno presenti il Delegato Apostolico a Gerusalemme, mons. Antonio Franco, e il Nunzio Apostolico in Sudan ed Eritrea, mons. Leo Boccardi.
La R.O.A.C.O è un organismo fondato nel 1968 dalla Congregazione per le Chiese Orientali, che raduna due volte l’anno le Agenzie impegnate nel sostegno delle Chiese cattoliche orientali in tutte le dimensioni della loro vita: culto, clero, formazione pastorale, istituzioni educative e scolastiche, assistenza socio-sanitaria.
Ne fanno parte, ad esempio, la “Catholic Near East Welfare Association” – con sede negli Stati Uniti, approvata da Pio XI nel 1928 –, la Pontificia Missione per la Palestina – nata nel 1949, anch’essa con sede negli USA – e numerose Agenzie che operano in Germania, Francia, Svizzera, Paesi Bassi e Austria. E’ presieduta dal Prefetto della Congregazione per le Chiese Orientali, il Cardinale Leonardo Sandri, ed ha come Vicepresidente il Segretario del Dicastero, l’Arcivescovo Cyril Vasil’, S.J., Segretario della R.O.A.C.O. è invece il rev. Leon Lemmens.
La R.O.A.C.O è un organismo fondato nel 1968 dalla Congregazione per le Chiese Orientali, che raduna due volte l’anno le Agenzie impegnate nel sostegno delle Chiese cattoliche orientali in tutte le dimensioni della loro vita: culto, clero, formazione pastorale, istituzioni educative e scolastiche, assistenza socio-sanitaria.
Ne fanno parte, ad esempio, la “Catholic Near East Welfare Association” – con sede negli Stati Uniti, approvata da Pio XI nel 1928 –, la Pontificia Missione per la Palestina – nata nel 1949, anch’essa con sede negli USA – e numerose Agenzie che operano in Germania, Francia, Svizzera, Paesi Bassi e Austria. E’ presieduta dal Prefetto della Congregazione per le Chiese Orientali, il Cardinale Leonardo Sandri, ed ha come Vicepresidente il Segretario del Dicastero, l’Arcivescovo Cyril Vasil’, S.J., Segretario della R.O.A.C.O. è invece il rev. Leon Lemmens.