Iraq Priest Remains Kidnapped, As Thousands Flee
Friday, 15 June 2007
By BosNewsLife News Center

BAGHDAD, IRAQ (BosNewsLife)-- A Chaldean Catholic priest and possibly one young Christian remained detained Friday, June 15, more than a week after they were kidnapped by suspected Muslim militants in Baghdad, while Christians continued to flee the volatile Iraqi capital.

Church officials said Hani Abdel Ahad was seized June 6 with the five in Suleikh, a Sunni neighborhood in northern Baghdad. Four boys were released the next day, but one of them apparently remained in custody with the priest, Catholic news agency AsiaNews reported.

A ransom was allegedly made to the patriarch of the Chaldean church, Emmanuel Delly, but church officials have in past kidnappings often refused to confirm more details during negotiations, citing security concerns.

The kidnapping followed the killings of Chaldean priest Ragheed Aziz Kani and his three assistants in Iraq's northern city of Mosul, murders condemned by Pope Benedict XVI as "senseless". the rest