7-December-2004 -- EWTNews Brief
MOSUL, Iraq – The most important historic and
artistic church of the Chaldean Catholic’s, the See of the Chaldean Bishop,
was completley razed to the ground today by armed Muslim gunmen in Mosul, as was
an Armenian Catholic church. Worshippers were evacuated by the gunmen before
they bombed the churches. There were no casualties, Reuters reports. Many of
Iraq’s 750,000 strong Christian population live in Mosul, whose total
population 1.2 million.
Christians, who make up 3% of Iraq’a population have been attacked several
times in the past few months.
This is not the first time that churches have been targeted. Five Baghdad
churches had been bombed on Oct. 16 at the start of the Muslim holy month of
Ramadan, and two Christians were killed in the bombings of two churches in
Baghdad on Nov. 8.
Many of Iraq’a Christians, mostly Chaldean Catholics have fled Iraq for
neighbouring Jordan and Syria in recent months owing to the systematic violence
perpetrated against them from Mulsim extremists.
Muslim leaders have condemned the violence, trying to quell Christian fears
that they are being routed from the country.