Monthly Archives: July 2009

Geneva, 14 July 2009 Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, We have been deeply troubled and saddened by the brutal wave of violent attacks on the churches and Christian communities in Baghdad, Mosul and Kerkuk over this last week, which have left four people dead and 32 others injured.…

Date: 2009-07-16 No;081 The Honorable Nuri al-Maliki Prime Minister Federal Republic of Iraq Baghdad, Iraq Dear Prime Minister al-Maliki, I am in great distress over the latest attacks perpetrated against our churches in Iraq. This contemptible action is clearly ethnocide and is intended to intimidate and…

Amidst intense denunciations to the new wave of violence targeting Christian religious sites, dozens of mourners held a funeral procession in Baghdad for two victims who were killed in a car bomb attack that targeted Virgin Mary Church two days ago. Bishop Shlemon Warduni of Baghdad, an assistant to the head of the Catholic Chaldean…

Iraqis’ list of woes is too long, sadly, to allow for more to be added, yet the recent tensions between the Muslim majority and the Christian minority came to lengthen it, adding a new dimension to the religious problems in the country.…

By Carol Rizk BEIRUT: Lebanon’s Catholic Media Center sounded the alarm on Tuesday saying Iraq’s Christians were facing increasing injustice and were being pushed to flea their home country.…

Amnesty International is greatly concerned by the recent spate of attacks on Christian churches in Baghdad,which killed four civilians and injured more than 30others. Amnesty International condemns such attacks and demands that those responsible cease attacking civilians.…

By: Helen Talia, Chicago www.helentalia.com A friend from Iraq writes, “there is nothing here but dust, gravel, and concrete walls. All over, life is wasted.” He asked me to send pictures of foliage ~ trees, grass, plants, flowers, you name it! He went on to say, “I am well aware that I still exist, but…

In a message to Cardinal Delly, the pope gave assurances of his prayers and solidarity with the Christian communities in Iraq affected by deadly bomb attacks on churches. The Patriach called for a “spirit of tolerance.” Benedict XVI has expressed his spiritual closeness to Baghdad’s Christian community…

A series of bombing attacks on Christians churches in Iraq has left at least 4 people dead and dozens wounded, and rekindled fears of a concerted assault on the Christian minority after the departure of American troops. In the capital city of Baghdad, 7 churches– Chaldean Catholic and Orthodox– were the targets of car bombings.…

By Prashant Rao AFP – Ahmad al-Rubaye* (Larger image) BAGHDAD – Iraqi authorities ramped up security in Christian areas of Baghdad and Mosul on Monday after deadly bombings that dismayed church leaders and prompted an appeal for peace from the pope.…

On Sunday, July 5th, 2009, the Assyrian community in Chicago hosted Khabour.com to commemorate its second annual anniversary since the inception of its website. History and Forecast Khabour.com stands for community, humanity, and academy, serving the Assyrian…

Gates locked outside a Christian church in Basra, Iraq, in this undated photo 13 July 2009 – The top United Nations envoy to Iraq today called for a redoubling of efforts to protect the country’s Christians, as well as its other minority communities, following a series of “orchestrated” bombings over the weekend that hit several…

SOCIETY FOR THREATENED PEOPLES PRESS RELEASE Göttingen/Arbil, 13^th July 2009Iraq:A series of attacks on churches means that direct help for aid projects for Christian refugees is neededFollowing the most recent series of bombings involving six churches in…

Vatican City – Pope Benedict XVI condemned the latest attacks against Christians in Iraq and urged the country’s authorities to increase efforts to ‘promote peace’ between the various religious communities, the Vatican’s newspaper reported Monday.…

BEIRUT, Lebanon (CNS) — Chaldean Auxiliary Bishop Shlemon Warduni of Baghdad, Iraq, had just finished celebrating Mass at Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church and was talking to parishioners in the courtyard. Moments later, while he was in his office, a bomb exploded on the road that runs alongside the church.…

By Aseel Kami BAGHDAD (Reuters) – The ethnically mixed Iraqi city of Mosul imposed a curfew on vehicles in Christian neighborhoods Monday, responding to a spate of bomb attacks targeting churches in Baghdad, police said.…

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) — A church in Iraq was bombed Monday, the seventh Christian house of worship in the country to be bombed in three days. An Iraqi policeman stands next to the burned-out wreck of a car outside a Baghdad church July 13.…

By VOA News A bomb exploded Sunday in Iraq near a convoy of vehicles transporting U.S. Ambassador Christopher Hill. No one was injured in the attack. The bombing occurred in Dhi Qar province in southern Iraq. The newspaper, “USA…

BAGHDAD (AP) — Iraqi authorities have imposed vehicle bans in two mostly Christian towns and are increasing security around churches in Baghdad after attacks there that targeted the Christian minority. The measures follow a series of bombings in or near churches that killed at least four…

Soldier cleans debris from bombed church in Baghdad 5 churches were bombed around Baghdad that killed four people and injured another 12 on Sunday, indicating the potential renewal of Christian persecution in Iraq just days after the withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraqi cities. The New York Times reported that the bombings on Sunday, “appeared…