Erbil, Iraq, Jul 27, 2010 / 01:28 pm (CNA/EWTN News)

Baghdad bishop dies after lifetime of serving the Church

Auxiliary Bishop Andraos Abouna of Baghdad died Tuesday morning in a hospital in Erbil, the capital of Kurdish northern Iraq. The bishop was 67 years old and had suffered from kidney problems.

According to the Italian bishops' news agency SIR, Bishop Abouna underwent kidney surgery two months ago. He seemed to have recovered, however he had a relapse last week and was admitted to the hospital on Monday.

“His death is a great loss for the Iraqi Church,” Bishop Shlemon Warduni, Chaldean Patriarchal Vicar of Baghdad, told SIR. “Msgr. Abouna was in charge of youth pastoral care. Now, let’s pray for the Lord to give us a new pastor.”

Chaldean Patriarch Emmanuel III Delly will preside at a funeral for Bishop Abouna, scheduled for Tuesday evening at St. Joseph's Cathedral in Ankawa, near Erbil.

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN), a Catholic charity that supports the faithful in places of persecution and difficulty, spoke with Archbishop Bashar Warda of Erbil, who recalled how Bishop Abouna was “always smiling, even in very difficult situations.”