Who are the Chaldean Christians? (priest, blood, Isaiah, church)

[kai]

Gunmen have kidnapped the archbishop of the Chaldean Catholic Church in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and killed three of his aides, his church says.


BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Iraqi Chaldean archbishop seized
BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Who are the Chaldean Christians?

[Popeyesays]

The Chaldean Church is the major Christian Church ion Iraq. It bears some resemblance to the Syrian Church. Chaldea was also the home of the City of Ur which is the birthplace of Abraham.

Regards,
Scott

[MidnightBlue]

Originally Posted by Popeyesays

The Chaldean Church is the major Christian Church ion Iraq. It bears some resemblance to the Syrian Church.

Their closest resemblance is to the Assyrian Church of the East; basically, Chaldaeans are Assyrians who are under the authority of the Pope.

[kai]

a sad outcome for iraq
The body of Paulos Faraj Rahho, the Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Mosul, was found in a shallow grave in the city after a tip-off from his captors

BBC NEWS | World | Middle East | Iraqi archbishop death condemned

[MidnightBlue]

From the Wikipedia article on the archbishop:

Life

Paulos Faraj Rahho was born in 1942 in Mosul. He spent nearly all his life in Mosul, a city with one of the largest and oldest Christian populations in Iraq. In 1954 he entered the St. Peter's junior and major seminary in Baghdad in order to become a priest. Following a brief spell working there after his ordination on June 10, 1965, he was appointed to St Isaiah's Church in Mosul.[1] Rahho later founded the church of the Sacred Heart in Tel Keppe, a new district of Mosul. He also opened an orphanage for handicapped children.

Unease with Sharia

Rahho expressed disquiet at the moves to incorporate Sharia law more fundamentally into the Iraqi constitution, and continued throughout his life to lead worship in difficult situations. During his trip to Rome, Rahho confided that he had been threatened by gunmen in his native town.

Kidnapping and death

Late on February 29, 2008, according to a report given by the Catholic News Service, Archbishop Rahho was kidnapped from his car in the Al-Nur district of the city; his bodyguards and driver were killed. Ishtar TV said the kidnappers moved Rahho three times during the two weeks of captivity because the area where they were holding Rahho was raided three times. The kidnappers demanded that the Assyrian Christians contribute to the jihad, through jizya. The captors also demanded the release of Arab detainees and that they be paid three million dollars for Rahho's release.

On March 13, 2008, it was reported that the Archbishop's body had been found buried in a shallow grave near Mosul. Officials of the Chaldean Church in Iraq said they had received a call telling them where the body was buried. The cause of death was initially not clear. An official of the morgue in Mosul said the archbishop, who had health problems, including high blood pressure and diabetes, might have died of natural causes. Police at the Mosul morgue said the Archbishop appeared to have been dead a week and his body bore no bullet wounds. It is believed that the Archbishop was shot in the leg when he was abducted on February 29. According to church officials, Gunmen sprayed the Archbishop's car with bullets, killed two bodyguards and shoved the bishop into the trunk of a car. In the darkness, he managed to pull out his cellphone and call the church, telling officials not to pay a ransom for his release, they said. "He believed that this money would not be paid for good works and would be used for killing and more evil actions," the officials said. Other reports stated that also investigators believed the archbishop may have been shot at the time of the kidnapping.

However, Nineveh Deputy Governor Khasro Goran later confirmed the body did have gunshot wounds, specifically in the head. Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho is believed to be the highest-ranking Chaldean Catholic clergyman to be killed in the current Iraq war.