Kirkuk, Mar. 11, 2008 (CWNews.com) - Church leaders in Iraq are renewing their appeals on behalf of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Raho, 10 days after the Chaldean Catholic prelate was kidnapped in Mosul.

Concerns about the welfare of the missing archbishop are intensified because of his uncertain physical health, the AsiaNews service reports. (Archbishop Raho needs daily medication for a serious heart condition.) To complicate matters, the search for the kidnappers and their victim is hampered by the weak position of government forces in Mosul, a city dominated by insurgents and terrorists.

The kidnappers, who have sent ransom demands to Church officials in Iraq, have not allowed direct contact with their prisoner. Especially because three of his companions were killed by the gunmen who kidnapped the archbishop outside Mosul's cathedral, there is not even a guarantee that Archbishop Raho remains alive.

Archbishop Louis Sako of Kirkuk issued an appeal to the Western world to continue pressing for the release of Archbishop Raho. In his plea-- sent out through AsiaNews-- Archbishop Sako prayed that "once again silence will not shroud the pain for the Iraqi people."

"The support of the world’s bishops, religious, and faithful will give us the impulse to continue to hope in peace and inter-religious coexistence," Archbishop Sako said.