Pope Benedict XVI met with Iraqi Christians injured during the Oct.
31 attack on Our Lady of Salvation Syriac Catholic Cathedral in Baghdad.
The 26 Iraqi Christians, led by Father Giorgio Jahola, attended the
Pope’s Wednesday General Audience Dec. 1.
The group spoke later spoke
with the Pontiff and met with Archbishop Fernando Filoni, the substitute
for the General Affairs of the Secretariat of State and former papal
nuncio to Iraq.
A one-year-old girl who lost her father and her three-year-old
brother in the attack, as well as seven students attacked on their way
to university classes, were among the group of Iraqis.
All 26 were able to make the trip to Rome with assistance from the
Italian Foreign Affairs Ministry and the Vatican.
The survivors of the
attack—three children, 16 women and seven men—received medical treatment
at Rome’s Gemelli Hospital.
During their exchange with the Holy Father, they thanked him for the
medical attention they received and for his words of comfort. They also
shared photos of loved ones who lost their lives in the massacre that
killed 58.
Fr. Jahola recalled the two priests who died offering their lives in
exchange for the faithful present in the church. He also expressed
regret that investigations into the attack have not yielded results,
reported the Vatican's semi-official newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano.
“In order to defend the cause of Iraq, we need sensible and honest
lawyers who will investigate the errors committed against the Iraqi
people,” he said. “No one has investigated the causes of these latest
attacks … making us think that Iraqi officials are accomplices in this
tragedy. After the attack, the church was closed. No one could enter
the next day because they were cleaning it. They erased all the signs
of the tragedy. We want answers,” the priest said.
On Oct. 31, gunmen linked to al-Qaida took over 120 faithful hostage
at the Syriac Catholic Cathedral of Our Lady of Salvation during Mass.
After the Iraqi military raided the church to free the hostages, over 58 people, including two priests, were killed.
Pope Benedict lamented the disaster after he prayed the Angelus on
Nov. 1. He condemned the “savage” attack and offered prayers for the
victims.
“I pray for the victims of this absurd violence, even more ferocious
in that it has been inflicted upon defenseless people gathered in God's
house, which is a house of love and reconciliation,” the Pope said.
“I express my affectionate closeness to the Christian community, now
stricken again, and I encourage its pastors and faithful alike to be
strong and firm in hope.”
SIC: CNA/INT'L