Kidnappers ask for ransom for Iraqi archbishop
By Simon Caldwell
7 March 2008

Kidnappers who snatched an Iraqi bishop outside his cathedral and slaughtered his three aides have demanded a £500,000 ransom for his release. Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mosul was abducted late last Friday as he climbed into his car after leading the Stations of the Cross in the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Mosul.

The driver and two others were shot dead and the 67-year-old archbishop was dragged away at gunpoint.

It later emerged that the kidnappers, who have not been identified, were asking for a million US dollars.

They are refusing to allow mediators to talk to the cleric despite his need for daily medication for a heart condition. Auxiliary Bishop Andreas Abouna of Baghdad said: "The people who are dealing with the kidnappers have told them it is impossible to afford the ransom."

He told the London branch of the Aid to the Church in Need charity that "the people responsible have obviously done this for money but they clearly also wanted to scare the Christians in Mosul and all over the country and let them know they are not safe".

The Vatican has issued repeated appeals for the release of the archbishop, a Chaldean Catholic, describing the attack as a "despicable act".

In a statement it said Pope Benedict XVI was deeply saddened by the abduction. "The Holy Father asks the universal Church to join in his fervent prayer that reason and humanity will prevail in the perpetrators of the attack," it said.

The Pope expressed his closeness to the entire Christian community in Iraq, it added.

Church leaders in Britain have also added their voices to calls for the archbishop's release.

They include the Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams.

The leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion said Muslim leaders around the world should work for the prompt release of Archbishop Rahho.

He said: "This incident illustrates the continuing situation of insecurity in which Christians in Iraq have been living in recent years.

"Towards the end of last year I welcomed an open letter from a wide range of Muslim leaders and scholars urging that we 'vie with each other only in righteousness and good works' as a witness to a shared love of God and love of neighbour.

"It is in response to events such as these that religious and community leaders internationally, regionally and, above all, locally can demonstrate their commitment to mutual respect."

Catholic Bishop Crispian Hollis of Portsmouth said he was also "very distressed" at the kidnapping.

"I join with all his people - and indeed with the whole Church - in praying for his swift and safe release," said Bishop Hollis, chairman of the department for international affairs of the Bishops' Conference of England and Wales.

"I pray also for those killed who were with him when he was taken and for their families."

The incident comes less than a year after a Chaldean Catholic priest and three subdeacons were gunned down outside the same church.

Fr Ragheed Aziz Ganni and subdeacons Basman Yousef Daoud, Wadid Hanna and Ghasan Bida Wid were killed in June after they had celebrated Sunday Mass.

The group was driving away from the church when their car was blocked by a group of armed militants. They were then shot dead.

Iraqi Christians in Need, a charity based in Britain, said the latest kidnapping highlighted the dangers facing many Iraqi Christians.

Spokeswoman Dr Suha Rassam said: "Mosul has become a very dangerous place for Christians.

"This terrible incident is proof, if any were needed, of the dire situation Iraq's Christians find themselves in. Many are living in fear and terror, wondering if they will be the next victims of the violence. The situation is grave."

While violence appears to be on the decrease in Baghdad, it is increasing in Mosul, especially against the Christian population.