Iraq War: Released Catholic priest said he was treated well by abductors
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"I can say that I was not mistreated, the kidnappers were very kind to me. As soon as they knew I was a bishop, their attitude changed and I was released at midday ... without a ransom being paid.
January 19, 2005
A CATHOLIC prelate, Archbishop Basile Georges Casmoussa, released by his kidnappers in Iraq early today said he had NOT been mistreated by the armed men who abducted him and demanded a $US200,000 ($264,000) ransom, which he said was not paid.
Casmoussa was seized by the gunmen yesterday afternoon and bundled into the boot of their car.
Archbishop Basile Georges Casmoussa is the leader of Mosul's 35,000-member Syrian Catholic community.
The 66-year-old prelate said he did not believe his abduction should be seen as an attack by Islamic fundamentalists on Christians in Iraq, as had been feared.
Archbishop Basile Georges Casmoussa told Vatican Radio shortly after his release:
Iraq's Christian community - which makes up just three per cent of the Muslim majority population - has been heavily targeted in the unrest that has swept the country following the March 2003 US-led invasion and many have fled.
I was always very straight with them, I did what they told me in a calm way. And they behaved properly.
This morning they came in to tell me that the pope had called for my release. And I said: 'Thank God, everything will be alright'.
I think my kidnapping was a coincidence. There are a lot of kidnappings here at the moment. But that's only my personal opinion.
Based on the conversations I had with them, it didn't seem that they wanted to strike against the Church as such."
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