Bericht van Caritas Irak over aanslagen op kerken

Sinds 2008 onderhoudt de vereniging nauwe contacten met Caritas Irak. De vereniging steunt het educatieve werk van Caritas. De positie van de minderheden in Irak wordt ernstig bedreigd. De laatste maanden leek er enige verbetering te zijn in de positie van de kerken. Op 12 juli 2009 werden er opnieuw meerdere aanslagen op kerken in Mosul en Bagdad gepleegd. Van Caritas Irak ontvingen we daarover onderstaand bericht.

Dear colleagues and partners,

Again and publicly the wicked attach a number of our churches in Baghdad and Mosul.

Till now, no side announced his responsibility of the explosions. The explosions shake the Christians confidence in theirselves. They are certain the no one care of them, no one protect them, as if they aren't Iraqis, from Iraq of from this country.

The authorities of the church's declarations call for peace and pushing the Christian people to stick to their country and their church. The Christian nowadays is threatened in the street, in his home in his work and his church. Now he became the victim of political speculation and the paper which many sides play it to achieve a certain benefit.

The government, after the explosions, hurried to take down an army and police forces to protect the churches, but it was too late.

All the churches in Baghdad were aimed between 5-7 P.M. on Sunday the 12th .7.2009 the church of saint Joseph near Al- Shurta tunnel was aimed on Saturday night/ Sunday and that was a clear sign that explosions will happen in other churches. But the government didn't take any step till after the evening explosions of Sunday and in spite of taking down the army and the police forces two churches were aimed. Saint Jacob in Al- Asia district / Al- Doura and Saint John the Baptist in Al- Doura at ten o'clock P.M. Sunday night.

The aimed churches:

1.     Al- Qalb Al- Aqdas church/ Al- wihda district – Rusafa side.

2.     Saint Joseph church, near Al- Shurta tunnel – Karkh side.

3.     Saint peter and saint Poul Cathedral for Al Syrian Orthodox/ Al- wihda district- Rusafa side.

4.     Saint Matta church for Syrian Orthodox/ Al- Ghadeer- Rusafa side

5.     Saint Qurqees church/ New Baghdad- Rusafa side.

6.     Saint John the Baptist church / Al- Doura – Rusafa side.

7.     Saint Jacob church/ Asia district- Al Doura.

8.     Mary the virgin church/ Palestine street- Rusafa side which was damage mor than other churches. Four persons were killed and more than thirty persons were inured. Some of them are in dangerous conditions, two of them died the next day.

9.     Fatima Virgin church for Syrian Catholic in Mosul. 

Mr. Nazar Aziz vice Director of Caritas Iraq (Director of Volunteers Programme), Mr. Adeeb Jibrael the financial Manager & Mr. Sabah Mansour Director of Peace building Programme), they made a visit to the aimed churches and stated the solidarity of Caritas Iraq and its members with the churches and they introduced their consolation to the martyrs' families and wished immediate healing for the wounded people.

 Caritas Iraq