Associated Press – March 17, 2008
VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI urged Iraqi Christians on Monday to find the strength to keep working for a peaceful future after the death of the kidnapped Chaldean Catholic archbishop of Mosul.
Benedict celebrated a memorial Mass in a Vatican chapel in honor of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho. His body was found last week near the northern city of Mosul, from where he had been abducted on Feb. 29.
Benedict has called Rahho’s death an “inhuman act of violence” that offended human dignity.
On Monday in his homily, Benedict called Rahho a man of peace and dialogue who paid particular attention to the poor and handicapped in his flock.
“Let his example support all Iraqis of goodwill – Christians and Muslims – to work for a peaceful co-existence, founded on human brotherhood and reciprocal respect,” Benedict said.
Benedict has consistently criticized attacks against Iraqi Christians by Islamic extremists, and Rahho’s death appears to have had a strong impact on him. On Sunday, in denouncing the death and the five-year-old Iraq war, Benedict issued one of his strongest appeals for peace yet.
“Enough with the slaughters. Enough with the violence. Enough with the hatred in Iraq!” Benedict said to applause at the end of Palm Sunday Mass in St. Peter’s Square.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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posted March 17, 2008 at 8:48 pm
Enough indeed! And enough of the US spending 4,000 of our soldiers’ lives and wounding 60,000 and spending $275 million dollars every single day. And enough of 700,000 Iraqis killed, countless wounded and four million refugeed.
The news media claims to think the surge is working but look at the number killed and injured every day and look at our armed forces stretched farther than they can sustain so we are, in fact, pulling out a little bit now.
And enough of John McCain parroting the same tired old “we are winning, just hang on longer” line that’s used by every party that doesn’t want to be the one to give up on a lost cause, in this case a lost cause they are responsible for starting.
Speak on, Ben. On this one you are right!
posted March 17, 2008 at 9:12 pm
As good a person as the archbishop tried to be, his death is just one of many thousands of deaths brought on by this illegal war. The routine statement that “we’re winning” is so much bull.
And I agree with nnmns, that Benny got this right, enough!
posted March 18, 2008 at 12:43 am
OK, it has to be the magic of the leprechauns happening here. Two articles from this one I agree with cknuck, and here I am about to applaud Pope B16.
“‘Let his example support all Iraqis of goodwill – Christians and Muslims – to work for a peaceful co-existence, founded on human brotherhood and reciprocal respect,’ Benedict said.”
This is as great a truth as can be spoken at a time like this. Now it is time for us to back up this statement with some political change and earnest intentional action.
Pope B16, well said! And this is not an easy complement for a joker like me to make.
posted April 13, 2008 at 4:21 am
Benedict said; “a peaceful co-existence, founded on human brotherhood and reciprocal respect,” This is from the person who supports anathemas.