Iraq: More deaths, few stories of hope leave many asking what's next

Published: 2006-12-14

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The war in Iraq has raised questions baffling religious and political leaders during 2006 as more information surfaced and often resulted in more confusion. Is Iraq in a civil war? Should the United States "cut and run" or "stay the course?" As stories from the few remaining Chaldean Christians started to be heard from Iraq, it became clear that their situation was dire. Father Habib Jajou al-Noufaly, a Baghdad parish priest before he was appointed as head of the Catholic Chaldean Mission in London in 2003, told Catholic News Service in an e-mail Dec. 12 that Iraqi Christians have seen more violence this year than in previous years. According to Father al-Noufaly's calculations, this year alone eight priests have been kidnapped and more than 700 Christians have been killed, including two children who were crucified.

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