Dinner to honor Iraqi martyrs planned

I am glad to see this being done; please keep our persecuted brothers in Christ in your prayers. I also make passing mention of my annoyance that a patriarch is being called a cardinal. I understand his elevation as a means of giving greater visibility to the Chaldean Church and to show the Holy See's solidarity with its people, but his position as patriarch (to my mind) should have the greater prominence.

Washington DC, Aug 19, 2008 / 05:00 am (CNA).- Next month, InsideCatholic.com will honor Cardinal Mar Emmanuel III Delly, Archbishop of Baghdad and recognize the struggle of Iraqi Christians at its 13th Annual Partnership Dinner.

According to InsideCatholic.com, each year, “the Partnership Award is presented to a distinguished Catholic leader who has shown courage and dedication to his or her life and work.” Past recipients have included: Archbishop Charles Chaput, Fr. Benedict Groeschel, Admiral Jeremiah Denton, Tom Monaghan, Dr. Robby George, Henry Hyde, Fr. Thomas Williams, LC, and Eduardo Verastegui.

This year’s ceremony, which will take place on September 19 at the Willard InterContinental hotel in Washington, D.C., will honor the memories of Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho and Fr. Ragheed Ganni.

Father Ragheed Ganni and his companions were killed on June 3, 2007, after celebrating Mass. Archbishop Paulos Faraj Rahho was kidnapped on February 29 of this year and found dead near Mosul on March 13, 2008.

Annually, the dinner brings together 300 friends and colleagues of InsideCatholic.com (formerly Crisis Magazine), from the fields of politics, the Church, journalism and the arts.