Download PDF version of this page17/06/2008
Press release
Issued by the Catholic Communications Network
Bishops pray for the “gift of peace” for the people of Iraq
Cardinal Cormac Murphy-O’Connor last night (16 June) joined hundreds of Iraqi Christians in Westminster Cathedral to pray for peace in Iraq.
A Mass was celebrated to show solidarity and support for Iraqi communities, both in the Middle East and here in the UK.
Bishop Crispian Hollis, chair of the International Affairs department of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, preached at the Mass praying for the “gift of peace” for the people of Iraq.
In his homily, Bishop Hollis spoke of how his recent visit to northern Iraq had brought home the extent of the suffering in the country and how the ongoing violence had “seriously wounded” Iraq’s Christian communities.
Bishop Alan Hopes, Auxiliary Bishop of Westminster, with responsibility for Ethnic Chaplaincies, concelebrated at the Mass alongside Archbishop Patrick Kelly (Liverpool), Bishop Michael Evans (East Anglia), Bishop Arthur Roche (Leeds) and Bishop Bernard Longley (Auxiliary, Westminster).
The Gospel was sung in Arabic and the Our Father said in Aramaic – the language closest to Christ’s dialect.
During the Mass, special prayers were said for Archbishop Faraj Rahho who was killed in March 2008, having been kidnapped after leading prayers at the Church of the Holy Spirit in Mosul, for aid worker Margaret Hassan and for the many priests and people who have lost their lives in Iraq.
Bishop Andreas Abouna, Auxiliary Bishop of Baghdad, welcomed the solidarity Mass and sent a message to the Archbishop of Westminster expressing his “deepest thanks for your prayers for peace and satiability in [Iraq] and for your efforts to look after the needs of those who have left their homes and countries in search of a new life, new families and a better standard of living.”
Bishop Abouna also praised Catholic charities for their hard work in raising the plight of Iraq’s Christians: “I thank the Catholic charities for their support in helping our people in need during this difficult time, may God bless them.”
Notes:
- The embedded image shows Bishop Crispian Hollis (Portsmouth) delivering his homily at last night’s Mass.
- Full text of Bishop Crispian Hollis’ homily attached.
- Further images available on request.
Some of the organisations supporting the local Church in Iraq are:
Multimedia
Bishop Crispian Hollis' homily for the Mass for the people of Iraq (mp3)
Images
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