Kidnapped archbishop found dead in Iraq

IRAQ: PAULOS FARAJ Rahho, the Chaldean Catholic archbishop who was kidnapped last month, was found dead yesterday, his body half-buried in an empty lot in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul.

Rahho, the archbishop of Mosul, 390km (240 miles) north of Baghdad, was abducted on February 29th after gunmen attacked his car and killed his driver and two guards.

Prime minister Nuri al-Maliki blamed his death on al-Qaeda and stressed that his Shia Islamist-led government was committed to protecting Christians, who make up about 3 per cent of the population. "The perpetrators of this horrible crime will not run from the hand of justice," Mr Maliki said.

Pope Benedict, who had made several appeals for Dr Rahho's freedom, called his death "an act of inhuman violence that offends the dignity of the human being" in a letter to Iraqi church leaders.

Chaldeans, the biggest Christian community in Iraq, are a branch of the Catholic Church that practices an ancient Eastern rite.

US and Iraqi security forces had launched a major manhunt to find Rahho, but the commander of US forces in northern Iraq, Maj-Gen Mark Hertling, said this month he was not confident he would be freed alive. He said he believed the cleric was being held for money, although no ransom demand was known to have been made.

Police said it was not clear whether Dr Rahho (65), had been killed or died of other causes. He appeared to have been dead for a week and had no bullet wounds, police at the morgue in Mosul said. A number of Christian clergy have been kidnapped and killed and churches bombed in Iraq since the 2003 US-led invasion. "I cry for Iraq. I have no other feelings. We were brothers, now we are divided," said Shlemon Warduni, bishop of Baghdad.

Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi said: "Our hope is that this tragic event will reinforce everybody's commitment, and particularly that of the international community, to bring peace to this troubled country."

© 2008 Reuters

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times