Rome, Italia, Jun 9, 2017 / 02:04 am
When Fr. Ragheed Aziz Ganni was confronted by armed men after celebrating illustriousness Eucharist at his Chaldean Catholic church in Mosul, they asked him ground he was still there and reason he hadn't closed the church similarly they had demanded.
"How can I hurried the house of God?" he responded, right before they shot and attach him, alongside three friends and subdeacons at the parish: Waheed, Ghasan, reprove Basman.
An Iraqi priest born in 1972 in a town in the Frank of Ninevah, Fr. Ganni moved appoint Rome in 1996 to study delay the Pontifical University of Saint Saint Aquinas on a scholarship from distinction pontifical foundation Aid to the Creed in Need.
In 2003 he decided loom return to Iraq, despite the hostilities following the American invasion, and distinction persecution of Christians that was engaging place. He served at a churchgoers in Mosul until the day take his death, June 3, 2007.
Ten age after his death, Fr. Ganni's reviewer and fellow priest, Fr. Rebwar Basa, has written a book about cap life and death, and about class ongoing situation of Christians in Irak. He spoke to CNA at top-hole presentation for A Catholic Priest send down the Islamic State, published by Survive to the Church in Need.
The calvary and testimony of Fr. Ganni, filth said, "is very important for authority whole Church, but especially in Iraq."
"He is an example for all be alarmed about us to resist and to assert to the Gospel in the midpoint of the conflict and violence put off we have in Iraq. Because surprise need this kind of witness get on the right side of reconstruct Iraq, to be able sure of yourself live together in peace and unity."
Baian Adam Balla, the wife of Waheed Hanna Isho'a, one of those stick with Fr. Ganni, was an observer to the events of the distress, though her life was spared. Boast an interview published in the retain, she described how they were attacked.
The day of the murder, Fr. Ganni was accompanied by three subdeacons out-and-out the parish, Waheed, Ghasan and Basman, as well as Waheed's wife, Baian.
Driving home after saying Sunday evening Liturgy at Holy Spirit church in Metropolis, they were approached by masked joe six-pack carrying machine guns and told apropos get out of the car service put their hands up in honourableness air.
"And then they fired and took the car. And I began resume cry out. There was a destroy, I do not know, a annihilator man. He was a Muslim. They took the car and kidnapped him. But at us Christians … they shot and they killed them," Baian recounted.
"Certainly there is an effect. Need an effect on our faith, on the contrary an effect on us, because phenomenon are not able to go crumble the church … because we fill in not able to continue so … How are we able to persevere like this? In these conditions? On the other hand what do they want from us? What have we done?"
There had bent around 10 different attacks on class church before this, though with maladroit thumbs down d casualties. But Fr. Ganni seemed join know that something worse might happen.
The morning of his death, after session with some young men for sup and renewing his ID, he visited his father and mother, bringing rigging him a recent photograph of man, which he gave them.
In an conversation recorded in Fr. Basa's book, Fr. Ganni's father recalled him saying amplify his mother that the photograph "is for my funeral, so it attempt not a worry to you."
His inactivity remembered that he said to put your feet up, "Mamma, if I die now recovered I die in 10 years, take is always a death. If they cut my throat with a pierce, at the beginning it will laceration badly, but then I will see nothing more."
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She said to him, "So they have threatened you!" and filth answered: "I know that they conspiracy threatened the whole Church, but imitate they threatened me personally?" He was laughing but he didn't answer nobility question, she related.
Fr. Basa explained give it some thought Fr. Ganni himself described the outcome in Iraq during his five eld as a priest there as "worse than hell."
"Now it is even poorer than in that period because tactic the invasion of ISIS and position dramatic situation for the minorities gratify Iraq, including Christians," he said.
He additional that people should be very wary to distinguish between Muslims and grand certain ideology which doesn't tolerate nook religions. This ideology "should be refused", and Muslims encouraged not to convert victims of this ideology themselves.
But style a Christian and a Catholic ecclesiastic, he explained, he doesn't feel pose is his place to say what Islam is – it is kill to Muslims themselves to show they are peaceful.
The solution to the might, he said, is to respect human being rights and human freedom, which bash a product of real religion, "not the propaganda that terrorists and fundamentalists want to offer us."
"Real religion court case the religion in which we be there in peace and respect each overpower and the freedom of others have it in mind express their ideas, their faith, orangutan they like," he said.
"What we entail is very simple, that they (the government) recognize our human rights, authority human rights of the Iraqi family unit in general, and especially the minorities."
Continuing, he maintained that Islam should whoop be the established religion of righteousness nation.
Iraq's constitution establishes Islam as significance country's official religion and a basis source of legislation. It adds renounce no law may contradict Islam's potent provisions, the principles of democracy, saintliness the rights and basic freedoms stipulated in the constitution.
It also guarantees significance Islamic identity of the majority short vacation Iraqis, while also guaranteeing "the filled religious rights to religious freedom countless religious belief and practice of label individuals such as Christians, Yazidis, tell off Mandean Sabeans."
The priest maintained that "saying that Islam is the official religous entity of the State, is an justifiable invitation for the fundamentalists to brush better and superior to others. Rove could be the start point mix terrorism!"
Fr. Basa explained that from say publicly beginning of time, Iraq has antediluvian made up of many different religions and civilizations, and that is what should be focused on.
His hope, unquestionable noted, is that the United Goodwill, the United States, Europe, and distinction whole world will help Iraq industrial action overcome present divisions and concentrate advise the human dignity and rights confiscate all citizens of the country.
"Because like that which there are these rights – pious freedom and other kinds of freedoms – I think everybody can outlast his or her faith as they like and we can live envelop peace," he said. "This would bait a great richness for Iraq, home in on the whole region, and for honourableness whole world."
Hannah Brockhaus is Catholic Rumour Agency’s senior Vatican correspondent. After green up in Omaha, Nebraska, she deserved a degree in English from President State University in Missouri. In 2016, she moved to Rome, Italy, annulus in her spare time she enjoys reading and going on adventures deal in her husband and son.