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Iraqi Catholics hit by bombing campaign

Baghdad, Jan. 7, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Catholic churches and institutions in Baghdad and Mosul, Iraq were hit by a series of bombing attacks on Sunday, January 6, the AsiaNews service reports.

Remarkably, no one was killed by the explosions, Church officials said. But several church buildings sustained major damage.

The attacks "represent a clear message," Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk told AsiaNews, noting that they seemed clearly to indicate "a coordinated plan." Catholics in Iraq have been shaken by several bombing campaigns, evidently designed to intimidate the Christian minority and encourage further emigration from Iraq.

Car bombs exploded at the Church of St. George in Baghdad, where Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly had recently finished celebrating the Divine Liturgy. There were also explosions at a Chaldean convent and a Melkite church near Baghdad, another Chaldean church and an orphanage in Mosul, and a Dominican convent in Mosul.

The Spirit of Truth

O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, You are everywhere present and fill all things. Treasury of Blesings and Giver of Life, come and dwell within us, cleanse us of all stain, and save our souls, O Good One.

Hymn from the Vespers of Pentecost

Wisdom from the Church Fathers

God is a fire that warms and kindles the heart and inward parts. Hence, if we feel in our hearts the cold that comes from the devil - for the devil is cold - let us call on the Lord. He will come to warm our hearts with perfect love, not only for Him but also for our neighbor, and the cold of him who hates the good will flee before the heat of His countenance.

St. Seraphim of Sarov
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