Letter
Letter to Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans Delly on the Kidnapping and Death of Archbishop of Mosul, Iraq, March 13, 2008
March 13, 2008
His Beatitude Emmanuel III Delly
Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans
Chaldean Catholic Patriarchate
P.O. Box 6112
Al-Mansour, Baghdad, Iraq
Your Beatitude:
The news of the tragic death of His Excellency, Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho of Mosul, while in the hands of his kidnappers, has just reached me. On behalf of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, I want to express our profound shock and sorrow at this callous act which demonstrates the particularly harsh realities faced by Christians in Iraq and the lack of security faced by all Iraqis.
As President of our Conference, I offer prayers for His Excellency and for the Chaldean Church in Iraq. Please be assured that we stand in solidarity with you in this troubling time. May the Lord continue to give you strength to console your Church during this season of the Lord's passion and death.
Sincerely yours in Christ,
Francis Cardinal George, OMI
Archbishop of Chicago
President