Vatican opens cause for sainthood of priest, deacons martyred in Iraq

Last updated on: May 14, 2018 at 12:21 pm by Deacon Greg Kandra

Vatican opens cause for sainthood of priest, deacons martyred in Iraq 2018-05-14T12:21:13-04:00 Deacon Greg Kandra

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

Father Ragheed Ganni, Via AsiaNews

From CNS:

The Vatican has given its permission for the opening of the sainthood cause of an Iraqi priest and three deacons who were murdered by armed gunmen in Mosul.

The Congregation for Saints’ Causes gave the “nihil obstat” (“no objection”), permitting a diocesan bishop to open a local inquiry into a candidate’s sanctity, according to Fides, the news agency of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples, May 14.

Fides confirmed that the Eparchy of St. Thomas the Apostle of Detroit would be handling the process because of the difficult conditions facing the church in Mosul.

Chaldean Father Ragheed Aziz Ganni, his cousin Deacon Basman Yousef Daud, and Deacons Wahid Hanna Isho and Gassan Isam Bidawed were killed June 3, 2007, in front of the Holy Spirit Church in Mosul. Father Ganni had just finished celebrating Mass for the feast of Pentecost.

The three deacons had been accompanying Father Ganni because of increasing threats against him by militants. According to AsiaNews, armed gunman shot the four men and then booby trapped their car with explosives to prevent others from safely recovering the bodies.

Father Ragheed Ganni was remembered last year, on the 10th anniversary of his murder:

Ten years ago, a group of Islamist militants in Mosul stopped the car of a Catholic priest and three sub-deacons after they had celebrated Mass for the Holy Trinity Sunday.

“We told you to close the church. Why didn’t you?”

Father Ragheed Ganni’s simply said, “we cannot close the house of God.”

Those were his last words.

The 35-year-old Iraqi priest, belonging to the eastern Chaldean rite, was shot to death with the three subdeacons: Basman Daoud, Ghasan Bidawid and Waheed Isho’a.

The wife of one of Ganni’s friends managed to escape, and became the only witness to the tragedy. She later said the priest motioned with his head for her to run away after he was pushed to the ground by his attackers.

On this past Sunday, Rome’s Pontifical Irish College celebrated Holy Trinity Mass in the memory of the slain clergymen.

The college has a personal connection to the event: Starting in 1996, Ganni lived there for seven years, while studying at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas – known as the Angelicum (the chapel of the Irish College in Rome now has a mosaic of Ganni by Father Ivan Rupnik, SJ, which was installed in 2010).

In 2004, he decided to return to his country to help it and its Christian population rebuild. Because of his connections in Rome, he was often the priest journalists and humanitarians spoke to when trying to find out what was happening in Iraq, and his death hit the international Catholic community in the city hard, including the Irish College.

The homilist at the Mass was Father Rebwar Audish Basa, a friend of Ganni, who is also from Iraq. Basa recently released a book on the life of his friend, A Catholic Priest in the Islamic State. The Story of Father Ragheed Ganni.

The book was published by Aid to the Church in Need, which funded Ganni’s studies in Rome.

“Closing that house of God would mean denying Jesus Christ and saying to believers not to practice their faith. That was unimaginable for Father Ragheed,” Basa said in his homily.

Read more. Pray for these men, their cause, and the suffering people of Iraq, that these martyred clergymen might intercede on their behalf.

Hanging with the saints

Previous Post

May 14, 2018

Wim Wenders on Pope Francis: 'He is the most fearless man I ever met'

Next Post

May 15, 2018 WATCH: Remains of Coptic Christians martyred by ISIS in Libya returned to Egypt

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category "Mad Men" 9/11 advent All Things New Amazing video amazing videos amazon america Anglicans Anti-Catholicism art ascension thursday ash wednesday Atheists baltimore Bible Bishops Blogging bonnie engstrom Books bridgeport Brooklyn Chaplains children christian art christmas Church Churches CNEWA Converts criticism Deacons Death Penalty easter eastern christian Eastern Christians Ecumenism Education education Eucharist Europe euthanasia Evangelization Exorcism Family Feasts Gay rights Good Friday Great links Great Moments in Journalism Hanging with the saints heather renshaw Hispanic Catholics Hispanics History homelies Homilies Humor Hymn of the Week Immigration indianapolis Inspiration Interfaith news ireland Jesus Jews Journalism Judaism lent Liturgy logos Marriage Mary Media Medical news Mental health Middle East Monks Movies Music Muslims My world and welcome to it New Evangelization new york News Nuns Parenting Parish life peoria Persecution Politics politics Pope pope francis pope john paul Prayer Preaching Priests Pro-life Quote of the day radio rebecca frech ripp Ripped from the headlines rippred from the headlines Sacraments saints Scripture sex abuse Sex abuse crisis SEX ABUSE CRISIS TAGGED WITH: SEX ABUSE CRISIS The people in the pews the visitation project theatre This & that Thomas Merton Trappists TV Uncategorized uncategorized Vatican VATICAN vocation Vocations Voices & Views Women Worth a thousand words Writing Year of Faith year of mercy young people

Select a Month December 2019 November 2019 October 2019 September 2019 August 2019 July 2019 June 2019 May 2019 April 2019 March 2019 February 2019 January 2019 December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 March 2011 February 2011 January 2011 December 2010

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

Who is known for teaching that "faith without works is dead"?

Select your answer to see how you score.

James Jude Peter Paul

Books by This Author Books by Deacon Greg Kandra

See All Titles »