Orthodox Priest Beheaded in Iraq
(October 13, 2006)--An Orthodox priest has been beheaded in Iraq.
Relatives of the priest, Father Amer Iskender, say his captors had demanded a church apology for recent papal comments about Islam.
They say that he was abducted Sunday by an unidentified group, which demanded a ransom.
The kidnappers also wanted the priest's church to condemn controversial recent remarks by Pope Benedict.
(Read the full story by clicking on the link above.)
The story was also reported by Aljazeera.net.
Fr. Iskender's family had agreed to pay a ransom for his release, but then contact with the kidnappers was lost, and he was beheaded. According to the reports, his parish church had already repudiated the comments of the Pope, even before Fr. Amer was kidnapped.
Isn't it ironic that the way some Muslims choose to protest a 600-year old claim against them proves the truth of the claim?
(Here's a link to the sermon preached today, which makes reference to this event: Protecting Veil of the Theotokos)
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