It was with extreme pain and sadness that we received the news of the assassination of the Chaldean Catholic Archbishop of Mosul, Paulus Faraj Rahho following his abduction last month. The assassination of a man of God who has dedicated his life to spreading the message of love, peace and brotherhood, is a heinous crime and an affront to humanity  and the divine values and principles to which all believers adhere.

I express my sincere condolences to all those who were stricken by this tragedy, and I assure them that this terrible crime will not deter the noble efforts of those who seek to strengthen the voice of reason against the evil forces whose aim it is to destroy Iraq and the foundations of brotherhood and solidarity on which it is based.

We must all stand firmly against these criminal acts and affirm to our communities that such acts are against all religious and human principles and values. People who have devoted their lives to the service and solidarity of their communities and humanity must be respected and protected regardless of their ethnicity or religious affiliation.

We call on the entire global community to join us in condemning this act and to take all possible measures to help prevent such crimes of blind terrorism from being committed in the future. We call on world leaders and all people of conscience to take immediate action to restore peace and stability in Iraq.

El Hassan bin Talal

Amman 13 March 2008.