8/13/2011 Iraq (VOA) – A car bomb was recently detonated outside a church in the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk injuring at least nineteen people, including a priest. More than 40 homes were damaged by the blast.
This latest attack on a church is part of a pattern of stepped up violence by terrorists against Iraq's minority Christian population. An attack on a Christian church in Baghdad on October 31st, 2010, left 58 worshippers dead, including two priests. It was one of the worst in a spate of attacks that have targeted Iraqi Christians and have left scores dead.
After the attack on the Syrian-Catholic church in Kirkuk, the Syrian-Catholic Archbishop, Yohanna Petros Mouche, has asked the Iraqi government to guarantee better security in the country. Speaking about the alleged terrorist he explained, that the terrorist was "perhaps an Iraqi by passport, but certainly not in his heart, because a true Iraqi does not eat the flesh of his brother." He called on Iraqi religious leaders to "strongly denounce the repulsive crime, which damages the reputation of Islam and the dignity of Iraq."
The Archbishop went on to say that "I hope that all what is happening in Iraq today, will only serve to
consolidate the firmness of faith of our Christians and their solidarity with one another" and added, "No matter how big the evil may be, it can’t shake faithful hearts. Brave souls stay firm."
This latest attack on a church is part of a pattern of stepped up violence by terrorists against Iraq's minority Christian population. An attack on a Christian church in Baghdad on October 31st, 2010, left 58 worshippers dead, including two priests. It was one of the worst in a spate of attacks that have targeted Iraqi Christians and have left scores dead.
After the attack on the Syrian-Catholic church in Kirkuk, the Syrian-Catholic Archbishop, Yohanna Petros Mouche, has asked the Iraqi government to guarantee better security in the country. Speaking about the alleged terrorist he explained, that the terrorist was "perhaps an Iraqi by passport, but certainly not in his heart, because a true Iraqi does not eat the flesh of his brother." He called on Iraqi religious leaders to "strongly denounce the repulsive crime, which damages the reputation of Islam and the dignity of Iraq."
The Archbishop went on to say that "I hope that all what is happening in Iraq today, will only serve to
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