Attacks in Iraq were coordinated, claims archbishop

Baghdad, Iraq, Jan 8, 2008 / 04:15 am

Archbishop Francis Chullikatt, the apostolic nuncio to Iraq and Jordan, denounced the yesterday’s attacks against seven churches and convents in Mosul and Baghdad in an interview with SIR on Monday. The nuncio also told Servizio Informativo Religioso (SIR) that the attacks were coordinated and this worried him.

"We do not know who the authors of these attacks are"… but the fact is that, "if they had been made just a few hours earlier, there would have been a horrible massacre. The Churches were full of devotees," said the archbishop.

"These acts against Christian places of worship in Mosul and Baghdad have been coordinated, and this is sad news, which makes us uneasy", he related.

Archbishop Francis Assisi Chullikatt, the apostolic nuncio to Iraq and Jordan, made these comments in an interview with SIR which is the official news service of the Italian Bishops' Conference.

On Sunday, terrorists carried out attacks against seven churches and convents in Mosul and Baghdad which luckily had no victims but caused material damage.

"It is clear – says the nuncio – that these acts have been coordinated: the patriarch Emmanuel III Delly had officiated Mass in the church of Saint George in the capital. The other attacked church is the church of Saint Paul in Mosul, where the bishop resides for security reasons."

"It is hard to say what kind of message the terrorists meant to give with these attacks. They showed they can hit easily and accurately if they want to. The Government is aware of all this, and we are very worried. What happened yesterday is sad news", Archbishop Chullikatt concluded.