Iraqi Archbishop Deeply Reflects on Life & Peace after Release from Captors

The Syrian Catholic Archbishop of Mosul spoke of his deep reflection one day after he was released by kidnappers. With a heart of thankfulness, he acknowledged how the concern of the media and the Pope John Paul, as well as his prayer had saved him quickly from being harmed by the captors.

"I wish to thank God for the gift of life, the gift of freedom and for all those who supported me with their prayers. I wish also to thank the Holy Father and those who work with him for their valid, rapid and discrete assistance. I would also like to thank the media for making my abduction known which helped to put pressure on my captors."

The Archbishop, Basile Georges Casmoussa, was seized by gunmen while walking in front of his church on Tuesday. Fortunately, 24 hours later he was released safely.

The Archbishop revealed the reason behind the capture, "they accused me of being a collaborator with the Americans." Later, as the captors realised that he worked instead for the unity and sovereignty of the country at peace with all the neighbouring nations, they decided to release him.
The Archbishop also mentioned the captors were all impressed by the pleading of the Pope for his release.

The Archbishop was asked by the captors to say his last prayer before he was released. He said, "I prayed out loud asking God to forgive my sins and then looking at my captors I asked God to help the Iraqi people find once again peace, harmony and unity. I think this instilled respect in my captors and that my prayer played a fundamental role in my liberation."

The Archbishop concluded the lesson he learned from this threatening experience, "This experience gave me time to meditate on the profound meaning of life and death. It strengthened by faith and my determination to make my contribution towards restoring unity and harmony among the Iraqi people. May Iraq be once again a united country and a country of peace."