Another Martyr

Some of you may not yet heard about a priest and 3 sub-deacons were executed in cold blood in the street of Mosul after Mass on Sunday. Here is a beautiful piece about these martyrs. May their memories be eternal!


Here is the beginning of the sad story:

They killed Father Ragheed Ganni, a Chaldean Catholic priest, together with three subdeacons who were with him – Basman Yousef Daud, Wahid Hanna Isho, and Gassan Isam Bidawed. The assailants led Bidawed’s wife away, and struck down the four men in cold blood. Then they placed vehicles loaded with explosives around their corpses, so that no one would dare to approach them. It was late in the evening before the police in Mosul were able to defuse the explosives and collect the bodies.

After hearing about the violent death of Father Ganni, we learn about his beautiful, courageous life:

This young priest had willingly, knowingly chosen to remain by the side of his parishioners from Holy Spirit parish in Mosul, judged the most dangerous city after Baghdad. His reasoning was simple: without him, without its pastor, his flock would have been lost. In the barbarity of suicide attacks and bombings, one thing at least was clear, and gave him the strength to resist: "Christ”, Ragheed would say, “challenges evil with his infinite love, he keeps us united and through the Eucharist he gifts us life, which the terrorists are trying to take away".

Go read the entire article. Despite the sadness of it all, there is a victory in that Love conquers even death. I beg peace and consolation to all those who will miss Fr. Ragheed and his companions.