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PO Box 229
Petersfield
GU32 9DL office@frrme.org
+44 (0) 1730 267 673
Canon Andrew White reports...
St George's church damaged in bomb attack:
Dear Friends,
I am very sorry to tell you that the two major bomb explosions in Baghdad this
morning have done serious damage to the church compound, the clinic,
thebookshop, the school rooms and the mothers' union buildings.
The windows were replaced after the bombings on 19 August, but they have been
destroyed again, and this blast hit the church much more powerfully. Even the
window frames and the doors were blown out. All of the cars in the compound
and the Danish Memorial were destroyed.
And the clinic? The St George's clinic provides free medical and dental
treatment to people in Iraq, regardless of their religious or ethnic
background. It is staffed by a team of medics representing each of the Abramic
faiths: Muslim, Christian and Jew. It contained high quality medical equipment
provided by charitable donations to the Foundation for Relief and
Reconciliation in the Middle East. In a moment, much of this equipment has
been destroyed, placing it permanently out of reach of the Iraqi people who
need it so desperately.
Outside the church, at least 132 people were killed and over 600 injured.
Destroyed fragments of their bodies have been thrown through windows of the
church, making the clean-up operation yet more unpleasant. Many of our staff
and church members remain unaccounted for. Lay Pastor Faiz and I have been
trying in vain to reach them by telephone.
Today was a terrible day for us. But even in the blood and trauma and turmoil,
there are things for which we can, and indeed must, praise our G-d. The
carnage was terrible, but it could have been even worse.
- At 10.30am this morning, when the bombs exploded, there was no-one
in the church. If the bomb had been just a few hours later, the glass from the
windows would have ripped through the congregation causing terrible human
damage.
- Yesterday an enormous tree fell down outside the church, which
prevented the suicide bomber from detonating his explosives where they would
have caused maximum damage.
Some people ask us whether days like today make us want to give up. We have
seen much of what we have worked for destroyed. We have seen people we love
bereaved. But the truth is, it is days like today that remind us why our work
in Iraq is absolutely essential.
We must continue to provide a place of worship for Iraqi Christians. We must
continue to treat the medical needs of Iraqi civilians. And we must continue
to engage with the senior religious leaders from across the sectarian divides,
working with them to challenge the belief systems that lie behind this terrible
slaughter.
We will not stop because of this. Will you stand with us and help us to
restore what was destroyed?
Blessings,
Andrew
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