By SIR 28 aprile 2010
Churches are still targeted in Baghdad. The killing of the two heads of Al Qaeda in Iraq, military commander Abu Ayyub al Masri and political leader Abu Omar al Baghdadi, on April 19th in the Sunni province of al-Anbar, did not stop the terrorist threats against the Christian places of worship in the Iraqi capital. “We keep being threatened –the patriarchal vicar of Baghdad, the Chaldean Shlemon Warduni, states to SIR – and we do not know what might happen. Security procedures have been implemented but these are unscrupulous people who wouldn’t stop at anything. We are asked to be prudent but that is not enough. In this predicament, the lack of a Government takes its toll. We hope it will be elected soon”. But this is not the only threat that must be faced by the Catholic Church in Iraq, which a few days ago celebrated a national gathering of priests at Ankawa. “The pressures and activity of the Protestant cults are increasing – explains the Chaldean prelate – they entered the country following the US Troops. They have lots of money and means and take away many of our devotees but above all they cause problems in our relations with our Muslim brothers because of the proselytism they do”.
