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THE CHURCH IN THE WORLD


Islamists massacre Catholics at prayer in Baghdad church


Robert Mickens In Rome


AT LEAST 45 people were murdered and around 60 injured in a Baghdad church in the worst attack against Christians in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion of the country. A three-hour hostage ordeal at the hands of al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorists after last Sunday evening’s Mass ended in violence when Iraqi security forces raided the church. At least eight Iraqi police were also killed. Political and religious leaders in the region and around the world condemned the mas- sacre, which took place at the Syrian Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Deliverance. “I pray for the victims of this absurd vio- lence, which is even more savage because it struck defenceless people, gathered in God’s house, which is a house of love and reconcili - ation,” said Pope Benedict XVI. Speaking at the Angelus on All Saints’ Day,


the Pope urged international and national authorities to work together to end the “heinous episodes of violence that continue to ravage the people of the Middle East”. In a telegram the next day to the Syrian Catholic Archbishop of Baghdad, Athanase Matti Shaba Matoka, he said the attacks were an attempt to “undermine trust and civil co - existence” in the country. Muslim leaders in Iraq and Egypt also denounced the attack. But the violence continued after a funeral Mass for the victims on Tuesday at the


Chaldean Catholic Cathedral of St Joseph, when 11 bombs exploded in a Shia Muslim area of the city, killing more than 70 people. According to reports of Sunday’s attack, 10 men armed with automatic weapons, later identified as members of an al-Qaeda-affiliated group called the Islamic State of Iraq, stormed into the church at around 5.30 p.m. Witnesses said they had explosives strapped to their bodies. They said Fr Thaier Saad Abdal, 32, who was proclaiming a Scripture passage to the congregation of more than 100 people, begged the men to shoot him and let the peo- ple go. He and another priest, Fr Wasim Sabieh, 27, ended up among the 46 Catholics who were killed. Another older priest, Fr Raphael Qatin, later died from his injuries. According to reports, most of those caught inside the church were able to hide in the sac- risty during the rescue attempt. They also said that five of the terrorists were killed in the raid and another five were arrested. The terrorists were demanding the release of al-Qaeda prisoners in Iraq and two Coptic women in Egypt who they claimed had become Muslim and were allegedly being held by Copts in a monastery. Egypt’s Coptic and Muslim leaders dispute this account. On Tuesday, the group posted an online message warning of further attacks against Christians because the women had not been “released”. Syrian Catholic Archbishop Georges Basile Casmoussa of Mosul blamed security forces for botching the rescue operation. He told


A woman grieves during a funeral for victims of the attack. Photo: CNS/Thaier al-Sudani, Reuters


the Italian Catholic paper Avvenire that “most of the deaths were caused during the blitz by the Iraqi security forces led by the Americans”. He said the Government had moved far too quickly and the bishops had not even had time to deliver a request that the Government take a cautious approach. He continued: “America … left us in the grip of violence. And now who is going to protect us?” The head of the US bishops’ conference, Cardinal Francis George, said: “We share the Iraqi bishops’ concern that the US failed to help Iraqis” find the political will and concrete ways to protect citizens, “especially Christians”. The attack came a fortnight after the close of the Vatican-based Synod on the Middle East, during which bishops from Iraq gave widely differing reports of their country’s security situation. The Chaldean Patriarch, Emmanuel III Delly, surprised observers by positively portraying life for Christians. But presiding at Tuesday’s funeral, he said the Catholic vic- tims had been struck by “the devil’s hand”. (See Anthony O’Mahony, page 4.)


Primate’s aide resigns, citing Léonard’s untenable leadership style


THE SPOKESMANfor the head of the crisis- stricken Belgian Church has resigned, claiming his former boss does not take his leadership duties seriously and is like someone resolutely driving the wrong way up a one- way street, writes Tom Heneghan. Jürgen Mettepenningen, a research fellow at the Catholic University of Leuven, stood down after Archbishop André-Joseph Léonard of Brussels caused uproar by saying that prosecuting retired priests accused of sexually abusing children many years ago would amount to “a kind of vengeance”. Last month, the archbishop published a book in which he called Aids “immanent justice” for promiscuous sexual behaviour. Speaking at a press conference on Tuesday, Mr Mettepenningen likened his post to that


of a satellite navigation system being used by a motorist determined to go his own way. “For three months, I was his GPS but the driver holds the steering wheel and decides which way to go. All too often, I had to indicate that the route should be recalculated. But if the driver continues on his way, if he is blind to the accidents caused, then the GPS doesn’t have to wait to be dismissed.” Mr Mettepenningen, who had been in his post for two months, claimed that Archbishop Léonard did not take his leadership duties seriously, citing the fact that he did not even call a bishops’ meeting after the police raided the Belgian Church headquarters in June searching for records of abuse by priests. Archbishop Léonard vowed last weekend to avoid making public statements until


Christmas, following his controversial remarks about elderly abusive priests and Aids and sexual behaviour. But on Monday he spoke after Mass on All Saints’, and Belgian news- papers reported him saying he felt misunderstood on the question of prosecuting retired priests. “It seems to be better for every- one if such a priest admits to his victim what he did,” Léonard was quoted as saying. “People concluded that I didn’t want these priests to be brought to court. But the first thing I always do is refer to the justice system.” The Bishop of Antwerp, Johan Bonny, had already distanced himself from Léonard’s original comment. He said on Belgian tele- vision that he “had a problem” with the remark and that Belgians must understand this was only Léonard’s personal view.


6 November 2010 | THE TABLET | 31


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