Vatican Mourning on Holy Week – Pope Says Iraq Violence Has Gone too Far

The body of the Archbishop Rahho, kidnapped for nearly two weeks was found in Iraq and the Pope asks for a cessation of violent acts in the Iraqi war, at the same time the Holy week starts for the Roman Catholic Christians.

The Iraqi war has been going on for 5 years now, and there has been a lot of violence, cruelty along with a destroyed territory not to mention the many victims and kidnappings. A particular kidnapping has had a tragic end and has affected the Vatican City in its entirety, determining Pope Benedict XVI to ask for peace from Iraq. The Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho has been kidnapped in Iraq on the 29th February, bringing terror during the fasting period of the Roman Catholics. The Pope found himself disarmed when finding out that the Archbishop’s dead body was dumped near the city of Mosul, causing grief in Vatican and among the Christian believers. The Iraqi war kidnappings did not always end up in this way, the victims being released, but it seems that Archbishop Rahho did not have enough chance to make it alive.

As a consequence of this dreadful event, the Pope Benedict made his appearance on the Palm Sunday Mass in Vatican, being very grieved and making a strong appeal to end the violence in Iraq. This appeal was made exactly at the beginning of the Holy Week, which is the week before the Easter Sunday. The Holy Week has a very deep meaning to the Catholics, being the week when Jesus suffered before his death and resurrection. Pope Benedict asks for peace and says that the people need to forgive and to accept their ethnic differences no matter what through the love of God and embracing faith, as the war and the violence has to stop.

Pope Benedict XVI and the Vatican did not agree to the entering of the US troops in Iraq. The Pope did strongly disagree with the extremist Islamists’ attacks against the Christians in the area and reminded President Bush not to forget about the Christians when taking further course of action. But now, Pope Benedict is highly concerned about what will become of the Iraqi Christians.

Pope Benedict will lead the funerals of the Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho, whose martyrdom is highly looked upon by the Pope. The Pope will make an exception about leading the funeral services for Rahho, as this privilege is reserved for cardinals.

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