By Ben Turner
Impunity Watch Reporter, Middle East

MOSUL, Iraq – The body of a Catholic archbishop, Paulos Faraj Rahbo, was found north of Mosul.  He was abducted by gunmen while he was leaving mass on February 29.  During the kidnapping, the gunmen killed three of the archbishop’s companions.

The archbishop’s body was not tortured or shot and showed no signs of violence.  The archbishop, 65, suffered from health problems, including high blood pressure and diabetes.  An official from the morgue in Mosul said that the Archbishop probably died of natural causes.

The archbishop was shot in the leg during the kidnapping and forced into the trunk of a car.  While in the trunk, he called the church from his cell phone and told them not to pay any ransom for his release.  Church officials said that Rahbo believed that the ransom  “money would not be paid for good works and would be used for killing and more evil actions.”

Pope Benedict XVI called the archbishop’s death “an act of inhumane violence that offends the dignity of human beings and gravely damages the cause of fraternal coexistence among the blessed people of Iraq.”

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said those behind the kidnapping would not escape justice, calling it a “horrible crime” by “a criminal, terrorist gang.”

The archbishop’s kidnapping follows a pattern of attacks against Christian churches in Iraq.  A priest and three companions were killed in a church last June.  In January 2005, Archbishop George Yasilious of Mosul was kidnapped and later released.  In October 2006, an Orthodox priest, Polis Iskander, was beheaded after he was kidnapped and attempts to ransom him failed.

In a telegram of condolence sent to the head of the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq, Pope Benedict said he hoped that the “tragic event” would at least help build a peaceful future for the country.

For more information, please see:
New York Times – Kidnapped Iraqi Archbishop is Dead – 14 March 2008

Associated Press – Archbishop’s Body Found in Iraq – 13 March 2008

BBC – Kidnapped Iraqi Archbishop Dead – 13 March 2008

Guardian – Archbishop Kidnapped in Iraq Found Dead – 13 March 2008

International Herald Tribune – Body of Chaldean Catholic Archbishop is Found Near Northern City in Iraq – 13 March 2008

Reuters – Iraqi Archbishop Found Dead, Al Qaeda Blamed – 13 March 2008