Baghdad (Agenzia Fides) – Pope Francis phoned the Patriarch of Babylon of the Chaldeans, Louis Raphael I Sako to manifest his participation and closeness to the suffering of the Iraqi people, starting from Mosul Christians expelled from the city by the self-proclaimed militants of the “Islamic Caliphate”. The phone call took place on Friday morning, July 25. The Bishop of Rome – as reported by official sources of the Chaldean Patriarchate – thanked Patriarch Louis Raphael for guiding the Christian people in this period, and expressed his affection for all Christians in Iraq, urging them to keep their faith alive.
Meanwhile, authoritative sources of the Chaldean Church deny the rumors that the militia of the Islamic Caliphate, after having destroyed the Mosque of Jonah in Mosul, have also destroyed the Chaldean church dedicated to the Holy Spirit.
“In the difficult times that we are living” says the Chaldean bishop of Mosul Amel Shamon Nona to Fides Agency “a further cause for concern and bitterness is represented by alarmism caused by unscrupulous people who spread false news that also touches the fate of Christians. Statements and interviews in recent days that I have never released have also been attributed to me. It is a disturbing phenomenon”. (GV) (Agenzia Fides 26/07/2014)