ROME (CNS): An Iraqi archbishop kidnapped in January said his abductors were ready to slit his throat at one point, but stopped when the prelate asked to say a prayer.
The prayer turned into an extended conversation with one of his captors and may have helped save his life, said Syrian-rite Archbishop Basile Georges Casmoussa of Mosul.
Archbishop Casmoussa revealed details of his ordeal in a testimonial circulated by the International Catholic Union of the Press in mid-February.
The archbishop was seized by armed men in mid-January and released unharmed less than 24 hours later, following an appeal from Pope John Paul II.
