Kerala Church grieves for dead in Bagdad church attack
(Nov. 02,2010) Christians in southern India’s Kerala State, who have close ties
with the Chaldean Catholic Church in Iraq, have strongly condemned the massacre of
Baghdad faithful. “My heart is burning with pain and grief,” said Syro-Malabar Church,
SMC spokesperson Fr. Paul Thelakat. “Our brothers in faith have lost their country
and have become the hunted in their own land,” the priest added. SMC is one of
the two Oriental Catholic rites in India with liturgical patrimony from the Chaldean
Catholic Church. Two priests and 56 Christians died on Sunday (Oct. 31) in a raid
by security forces on Our Lady of Salvation Church, one of Baghdad’s largest, as they
tried to free more than 100 Iraqi Catholics captured by Al-Qaeda-linked gunmen. Fr.
Thelakat urged everyone to work hard to eradicate the curse of terrorism to make the
world a safe place for humans. The Syro-Malabar priest also blamed the United States
for the present situation in Iraq. “They have to take full responsibility for this,”
he said. Two Christian advocacy groups in Britain have also joined in the widespread
condemnation of the attack. “Our prayers of comfort and solidarity are with the bereaved
and Christians across Iraq,” said Andrew Johnston, advocacy director of Christian
Solidarity Worldwide. “Our heart goes out to the persecuted Christians following this
latest tragedy,” added Neville Kyrke-Smith, national director of the charity Aid to
the Church in Need in London. Vatican .