Vatican City, Sep 3, 2008 / 20:33 pm
Archbishop Jean Benjamin Sleiman of Baghdad has denounced Iraqi media and government officials for ignoring the numerous cases of Christians being kidnapped, which he said are motivated primarily by Islamic extremism.
According to Vatican Radio, Archbishop Sleiman, responding to requests by family members and friends of kidnapped Christians that they be released, urged the government to address the issue and to “stop the wave of kidnappings that are affecting the Christian community.”
Likewise, the archbishop said it was disturbing that the government and the media are ignoring this phenomenon, which has become an urgent problem for the Iraqi people.