Chaldaean priest abducted after visit to Germany

Disturbing news have reached the Society for Threatened Poeples (GfbV) from Iraq: Since last Sunday the 34-year old Chaldaean priest, Douglas Al Bazy, has been missing from the St Elias Parish in Baghdad. It is feared that he has been abducted. So the auxiliary bishop of Baghdad, Shleman Warduni, has launched an appeal to the presumed kidnappers of the young cleric, who is well-known and admired for his courage and work precisely for young believers: "If you have a conscience and believe in God, then do him no harm ands release him as soon as possible in health and safety!"

Al Bazy had just met the GfbV committee member, Janet Abraham, in Munich in August. To her question as to whether he was afraid to return to Baghdad he had replied: "No, I must return to my parish. It needs me more than ever. My life lies in the hand of God."

The family of Douglas Al Bazy has already fled to the relatively safe north Iraq. On 26th January 2006 the Church of Maria, whose parish he has till recently cared for, was partially destroyed by bombs. On 20th February of this year the young priest was shot at while trying to bring a pregnant woman to safety in the church during an attack by armed militia on the building.

The GfbV renewed its demand on the federal and provincial ministers of the interior and the senators to grant permanent residence permits to the approximately 20,000 Assyro-Chaldaean Christians from Iraq living in Germany and thus to facilitate their speedy naturalization. For the abduction of Al Bazy is the most recent crime in a long escalating chain of murder, torture, rape, abduction and expulsion of Assyro-Chaldaean Christians from Iraq. Hundreds of thousands have already fled from their homes. Those who are still living in Iraq hardly dare to step out of their houses for fear of falling victim to a crime.