Al-Qaeda of Iraq Calls Pope 'Hallucinating Tyrant of the Vatican', Threatens 'Killing Sword'

By Deacon Keith Fournier
11/4/2010
Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Serious times demand serious responses

What is increasingly clear is that those behind the massacre of Catholics with their priests, during the celebration of Holy Mass at Our Lady of Deliverance in Baghdad last Sunday, are not finished with their evil. We once again invite our readers around the world to pray for those who mourn, pray for the Pope, and pray for the conversion of the perpetrators of this evil. Serious times demand serious responses.

Iraqi Christians mourning the loss of one of their beloved priests killed by Muslim extremists

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BAGHDAD, Iraq (Catholic Online) - Catholics, other Christians, other people of faith and people of good throughout the world continue to mourn and reflect upon the brutal killing of Catholics at Holy Mass in Baghdad last Sunday. However, those associated with the Muslim extremists who perpetrated the evil act continue to spew their hateful and violent rhetoric. We are committed to updating our global readers on the unfolding danger that these threats portend against Catholics and other Christians. Serious times demand a serious response.

Asia News has provided excellent coverage of the massacre and its aftermath. On November 3, they filed this report: "The so-called 'War Department' of the 'Islamic State of Iraq' (ISI) al-Qaeda in Iraq issued a statement on the Web to announce that the passing of the deadline of its "ultimatum" to the Egyptian Coptic Church to release two Egyptian women, Camilia Cheh and Wafa Constantine, wives of Coptic priests, whom according to the terrorists are detained against their will in a convent after converting to Islam. Their conversion has been denied by all the Islamic religious authorities in Egypt, and the Muslim Brotherhood have harshly attacked the authors of the massacre in Baghdad. Al-Qaeda, however, confirms that all Christians and their churches have become "legitimate targets" of the terrorist group and are therefore are in danger. The message issued today by the Iraqi cell of al-Qaeda also makes explicit reference to the Vatican.'

"While confirming its desire to attack the Christians, the terrorists say they want to give one more chance to the Catholics of the Church of Rome. They claim that "the War Office of the Islamic State of Iraq announced that starting today all the churches and Christian organizations and their leaders are a legitimate target for mujahedeen. These politicians and their bosses in the Vatican should know that the sword will not fall on the heads of their followers if they proclaim their innocence, and distance themselves from what has been done by the Egyptian Church. Al-Qaeda calls on Catholics to "send a clear signal to the mujahedeen of their effort to put pressure on the Egyptian Church in order to obtain the release of two women, their prisoners."

Vatican Radio has filed regular reports on the tragedy and its aftermath. The most recent noted: "The victims of Sunday's massacre in Our Lady of Salvation Church Baghdad were laid to rest Tuesday. A telegram from Pope Benedict to the leader of the Syro-Catholic Church in the Iraqi capital, Archbishop Athanase Matti Shaba Matoka, was read out to mourners during the funeral service. The Pope said "deeply moved by the violent death of so many faithful and their priests, Tha'ir Saad and Boutros Wasim, I wish, during the sacred funeral rite, to share spiritually in this occasion and pray that these our brothers and sisters are welcomed by the mercy of Christ into the Father's House.for years this country has been suffering untold hardships and even Christians have become the subject of brutal attacks that, in total disregard of life - an inviolable gift from God - want to undermine confidence and peace. I renew my call that the sacrifice of our brothers and sisters may be the seed of peace and true rebirth, and that those who care about reconciliation, solidarity and fraternal coexistence, find the strength and motivation to do good".

Finally, the UK Guardian, in an article by Martin Chulov entitled "Resurgent al-Qaida threatens Christians in Iraq with 'destruction" reported on Wednesday, November 3, 2010: "Al-Qaida in Iraq has threatened more attacks on Iraq's Christians, claiming that they are legitimate targets who now face the "doors of destruction".The warning, published today on militant websites, came three days after gunmen from an al-Qaida front group, the Islamic State of Iraq, raided one of Baghdad's main cathedrals during Sunday mass. More than 50 people were killed and dozens were wounded when Iraqi forces stormed the church in an attempt to lift the four-hour siege. In its statement, ISI described the pope as "the hallucinating tyrant of the Vatican" and warned that Christians would be "extirpated and dispersed" from Iraq. "All Christian centers, organizations and institutions, leaders and followers, are legitimate targets for the muhajideen wherever they can reach them...We will open upon them the doors of destruction and rivers of blood."

What is increasingly clear is that those behind the massacre of Catholics, with their priests, during the celebration of Holy Mass at Our Lady of Deliverance in Baghdad last Sunday, are not finished. We once again invite our readers around the world to pray for those who mourn, pray for the Pope, and pray for the conversion of the perpetrators of this evil. Serious times demand a serious response.

- - -

Pope Benedict XVI's Prayer Intentions for January 2013
General Intention: The Faith of Christians. That in this Year of Faith Christians may deepen their knowledge of the mystery of Christ and witness joyfully to the gift of faith in him.
Missionary Intention: Middle Eastern Christians. That the Christian communities of the Middle East, often discriminated against, may receive from the Holy Spirit the strength of fidelity and perseverance.

Keywords: Al-Qaeda, Iraq, pope, Baghdad, Killing sword, terrorism

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1 - 10 of 45 Comments

Muxlim
2 years ago
Who occuppies Iraq? How many Muslims were killed and raped by Christian soldiers? Who was behind Abu Ghraib? Who occuppies Afghanistan? Who supports racist crime by Israelis Jews against Muslims? Hypocrites aka Chrisitians
agus
2 years ago
May the Lord gave them all the victims eternal resting in heaven. If you want to know more al-qaeda doctrins search for faithfreedom in google. I know why they did it...
Marilyn underwood
2 years ago
The article is excellent and informative and presents pertinent information which has most likely been dismissed when or if reported in other media. What is significant, I believe, is the so called "excuse/reason" which these Al Qaeda thugs give for this massacre: the conversion to Christianity of the two Muslim women who are now hiding for their lives in an Egyptian convent. Such a conversion strikes at the very heart of faith of these believers in Islam. And the strictures which guard against the possibility of conversion are very strong, enforced by law in many Muslim countries, and by death for these thugs. Perhaps it is worth pointing out that Islam has a history of "forced" conversion, and "forcing" conversion always undermines the "truth" of a faith. God created us free--free to choose Him, or not to choose Him. To force anyone into a belief under threat of death is to violate the will of God, and to expose the underlying weakness, fear, and doubt of those who would do the forcing. Let us continue to pray for their conversion, to speak up when confronted by these atrocities, and to trust that "the gates of Hell will not prevail."
Maria
2 years ago
Not all Muslims are like AlQueda. I went to a Catholic college but one of my dormmates is Muslim. She's educated and does not shove her religion down anyone's throat. Terrorists risk damnation but not every muslim is a terrrorist.
Jude
2 years ago
Every Muslim follows the same rules as the terrorists when called to do so...everyone who is not a muslim is an infidel and according to their holy book (?) hahahah, they can kill us....until their holy book changes or they get mohammed to change it, it will always be the same thing just as it has always been throughout the ages....wise up people, there is no such thing as a moderate or peaceful muslim.....unless you have had encounters yourself, maybe you wouldn't believe it, but they lie and sell you out for a lousy job if they want that job....they lauged at us in the universiies in Miami during the 9/11 attacks on the TV in the caferteria....I could go on and on with my personal experiences but hey, maybe you need your own....let's invite some more muslims into our country so that they can make their own little villages and demand their ways of law into our gov. which they are already doing in OK.....people wake up....history is repeating itself just in a bigger way....yes, pray but educate yourself and pray for our leaders to pray....be united with God....but so many of Americans are in lala land spiritually, physically and mentally...
Per
2 years ago
History tells of times when the Christian faith was abused to justify butchery, in much the same way as Al Qaida abuses Islam to justify its bloody terrorism now. We Christians believe those times are past, but how certain can we be? We must be vigilant that history does not go ful circle here. History tells of times when civilisation, justice, learning and tolerance of other faiths flourished under Islam ... unlike today. What a blessing it would be if that type of Islam prevailed over the stuff that makes the headlines today. This dreadful violence arises not out of the religion but out of abuse of the religion. Most Muslims are moral people who know, through their religion, that it is wrong to lie, steal, mess with others' spouses, and so on. It is much the same morality as ours. Moslems look after their old people. A Moslem businessman's word is his bond. Moslem women are way more chaste than most women of USA and Europe (shame about the men, but they are no worse than Western men in that respect). And most important: Muslims worship God the Father. Anyone who doubts this: check the Catechism.
Maria
2 years ago
Al-Qaeda will burn in hell unless they truly repent. Those Iraqi Catholics they butchered are martyrs in heaven.
Eddie
2 years ago
Mr Grimes,
You could care less about the slaughter of those innocent Catholics in Baghdad. Your primary interest lies in viewing this and all issues and events descibed on this site through your myopic political prism. You demonstrate neither the willingness nor the intellectual capability to rise above petty partisan political tripe to look at this tragic event for what it is - the mindless butchery of faultless Catholics by a hate filled group of terrorists. Instead you are compelled to reduce the sacrifice of these good people to fit your political narrative. You should be ashamed of yourself!
Peterman
2 years ago
Fr Thomas you are so right. Everything must be moved back to pre 1970 and I believe it will. It simply is a matter of time, the "new" Church is falling apart at the seems and the sheep are being lead blindly to the slaughter. Our Lord will convert these heretics who persecute the Church but not before a new military order of monks has arrived. Sounds crazy I'm sure but too many saints have prophesied this coming for it to be untrue. Things will get worse and Catholics will fight back.. Deo Gratias!
Pam
2 years ago
I wonder what we would do here if we were in the same situation here as the Iraqui Catholics are over there.... "The blood of martyrs is the seed of Christians." It is a sorrowful, but real reality--May God grant that we have the same courage they manifest; the readiness to risk our lives to worship God and receive the Sacraments,

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