Slain Mosul
Archbishop Urged Iraqi Unity
Final Testament Published
BAGHDAD, Iraq, APRIL 18, 2008 (Zenit.org).- The final
testament from the slain archbishop of Mosul does not
bequeath any material goods to anyone, but it has a
spiritual message encouraging ties of brotherhood among
all Iraqis.
Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho was kidnapped Feb. 29
outside of a church where he had led the Way of the
Cross; it was a Friday of Lent. During the kidnapping,
his three companions were killed.
For days there was no news from the archbishop or his
kidnappers. Finally, after a phone call from the
assailants, the archbishop's body was found March 13 in
a shallow grave. He was 65.
His will was published by the Arabic-language Web site
Ankawa.com and dated Aug. 15, 2003. According to
AsiaNews, the will particularly mentioned the disabled
people cared for by the Charity and Joy Brotherhood that
the archbishop founded in 1989.
"From you I learned about love; you taught me to love,"
he wrote about them.
To his relatives, Archbishop Rahho said, "I own nothing
and whatever I have is not mine. Even I belong to the
Church and on the Church you have no claim."
The will concluded: "I call upon all of you to be open
to our Muslim and Yazidi brothers and to all the
children of our beloved homeland, to work together to
build solid ties of love and brotherhood among the
children of our beloved country, Iraq."
