"This was no act by ordinary criminals, but rather an act of intimidation by cowards that preyed upon a peaceful man." -- Faith J.H. McDonnell, Director of IRD's Religious Liberty Programs

Contact: Loralei Coyle, 202-682-4131, 202-905-6852 cell, lcoyle@TheIRD.org; Radio Interviews: Jeff Walton, jwalton@TheIRD.org; both with The Institute on Religion and Democracy

WASHINGTON, March 13 /Christian Newswire/ -- The body of a Chaldean Catholic archbishop has been discovered following his kidnapping in late February. Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho was abducted in the northern city of Mosul by men who killed his driver and two guards.

In an interview with Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), Chaldean church officials said that the Archbishop's captors made "impossible" demands in exchange for his safe return, among them financial support for opposing Americans.

A priest in Mosul told Compass Direct News today that the real motive for impossible ransom demands and the archbishop's killing was to push the Christians out of the city.

"They are pressuring us to leave Mosul and leave our church," said the priest. "And many families in Mosul are afraid, because if they killed the bishops and priests, then…"

IRD Director of Religious Liberty Programs Faith J.H. McDonnell commented:

"The Chaldean Christians, some of the last remaining speakers of Aramaic, the language of Jesus, are suffering under the persecution of Jihadis that seek to drive them from their ancestral homes and create a pure Islamic caliphate erased of the memory of Iraqi Christians.

"Archbishop Rahho's fate is a reminder that extremism is not solely the result of unmet material need – for the church negotiated in good faith to secure Rahho's release – but rather that evil exists in the world and must be confronted.

"Christians in the United States must begin to stand up for the Church in Iraq. In light of the great sacrifice that our country is making to bring freedom and democracy to all of the people of Iraq, the United States government must acknowledge that defenseless Iraqi Christians are particularly singled out in this jihad, and must be protected.

"The Mosul area is known as a hotbed of Islamic extremism. This was no act by ordinary criminals, but rather an act of intimidation by cowards that preyed upon a peaceful infirm man."