Iraqi archbishop laid to rest by mourners

|PIC1|Mourners have laid to rest on Friday a Chaldean Catholic archbishop known as a "man of peace beloved by all Iraqis", after he was found dead following a kidnapping.

As Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho's coffin was carried down the streets of a village outside Mosul in northern Iraq, mourners carrying flowers and olive branches wept.

The funeral procession was led by church official carrying a wooden cross affixed with Rahho's picture.

The beloved archbishop was kidnapped by unknown gunmen two weeks ago, just minutes after performing Mass in Mosul, al-Qaida's last urban stronghold.

During his kidnapping, which is the latest in a string of attacks on the Iraqi Christian community over the past few years, three of his aides were killed.

Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho's body was found on Thursday and his funeral took place Friday.

Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly told mourners, "He was a man of honesty, loyalty and peace. He was loved by all Iraqi people regardless of their sectarian background."

Rahho was the second-most senior Catholic cleric in Iraq, and his murder has brought further uncertainty over the future of the Christian community in Iraq.

President Bush, the pope and Iraq's prime minister condemned Rahho's kidnapping, which US officials in Baghdad called "one more savage attempt by a barbaric enemy to sow strife and discord."

Since the U.S.-led invasion in 2003, Iraqi Christians have been targeted by Islamic extremists who label them "crusaders" loyal to US troops, AP has reported.

Militants have attacked churches, priests and businesses owned by Christians, many of whom have fled the country in a trend mirrored across the Islamic world.

The Chaldean church is an Eastern-rite denomination aligned with the Roman Catholic Church that recognizes the authority of the pope.

Overall, Chaldean Catholics make up a tiny minority of the current Iraqi population but are the largest group among the less than 1 million Christians remaining in Iraq, according to the 2007 US International Religious Freedom Report.

There have been no claims of responsibility for the archbishop's kidnapping or his death.