By NNN-KUNA
Vatican City : Pope Benedict XVI has condemned the killing of kidnapped Chaldean Catholic Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho in Iraq as “unjustifiable violence targeting coexistence among Iraqis.”
Rahho, the archbishop of Mosul, some 390 km north of Baghdad, was abducted on Feb 28 after gunmen attacked his car and killed his driver and two bodyguards. His body was found dead half-buried in Mosul Thursday, police said.
“This is an act of inhuman violence that offends the dignity of the human being,” spokesman of the Vatican Church Reverand Federico Lombardi quoted the pope as saying in a letter to leaders of Iraqi churches.
“The most absurd and unjustified violence continues to strike the Iraqi people and particularly the small Christian community.
“Pope Benedict XVI is praying that sorrowful incident would prompt the Iraqis to restore peace to their country.
“Our hope is that this tragic event will underscore and reinforce everybody’s commitment and particularly that of the international community to bring peace to this troubled country,” he added.
The Chaldean Church, an affiliate of the Roman Catholic Church, represents the biggest Christian community in Iraq who practise ancient Eastern rites. It descends from the Church of the East in the mid 16th century.