Archbishop freed day after kidnap by gunmen in Iraq

The Catholic archbishop of the Iraqi city of Mosul has been freed one day after his abduction, according to reports this morning.

Archbishop Basile Georges Casmoussa was set free, without a ransom being paid, a church official said. This morning, the group holding him demanded a ransom of $200,000.

The Misna Italian missionary said it had been told of the release by Monsignor Petros Mouchi, the vicar-general of the archdiocese of Mosul.

The Vatican earlier demanded the quick release the archbishop who was kidnapped at gunpoint yesterday.

Archbishop Casmoussa (66) was believed to be the highest-ranking Catholic prelate to be abducted in Iraq, where churches have been the target of a bombing campaign since the US-led invasion.

"We have received news of the kidnapping of the . . . Archbishop of Mosul, Basile Georges Casmoussa," Chief Vatican spokesman Mr Joaquin Navarro-Valls said.

"The Holy See deplores this act of terrorism in the firmest manner and demands that the worthy pastor is swiftly freed unharmed to continue to carry out his ministry."

Archbishop Casmoussa was kidnapped by gunmen in two cars in the northern al-Majmoua al-Thaqafiya district of Iraq's third largest city soon after 5 p.m. (2 p.m. Irish time), a local Christian official said.

The archbishop was on his way to visit some families from his congregation when the attack took place, he added, but was not clear whether the motive was political, sectarian or financial, in a country where kidnapping for ransom is common.

Most of Iraq's Christians, who make up some three per cent of the 25 million population, belong to the early Assyrian and Chaldean churches.

While Christians had little political power under Saddam Hussein, they were free to worship and did not feel threatened by sectarian violence.

But Iraq's 650,000 or so Christians have been trickling out of their ancient homeland since the US-led invasion in 2003 as insurgents step up attacks against both Muslim and Christian holy places in an apparent bid to inflame sectarian tension.

On August 1st, five churches in Baghdad and the northern city of Mosul were bombed in co-ordinated attacks that killed 12 people. Five Baghdad churches were bombed on the October 16th start of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.