Basile Georges Casmoussa (born 25 October 1938 in Qaraqosh, Iraq) is a

Syriac Catholic The Syriac Catholic Church ( syc, ܥܕܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝܬܐ, ʿĪṯo Suryayṯo Qaṯolīqayṯo, ar, الكنيسة السريانية الكاثوليكية) is an Eastern Catholic Christian jurisdiction originating in t ...

archbishop. He was

Apostolic Visitor In the Catholic Church, an apostolic visitor (or ''Apostolic Visitator''; Italian: Visitatore apostolico) is a papal representative with a transient mission to perform a canonical visitation of relatively short duration. The visitor is depute ...

of the Syrian Catholics in Western Europe and

Archbishop In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdi ...

Emeritus of the Syrian Catholic Archeparchy of Mosul,

Iraq Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...

. Casmoussa was ordained as a

priest A priest is a religious leader authorized to perform the sacred rituals of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and one or more deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particu ...

in June 1962 and worked for three decades as the editor of ''Christian Source'' and was active in the International Union of the Catholic Press. He was elected Archbishop of the Syriac Catholic Archeparchy of Mosul in May 1999, taking up the post in December. The eparchy of Mosul has 35,000 Syriac Catholics, 36 priests, and 55 religious. Although many Iraqi Christians have left the country because of attacks following the

2003 invasion of Iraq The 2003 invasion of Iraq was a United States-led invasion of the Republic of Iraq and the first stage of the Iraq War. The invasion phase began on 19 March 2003 (air) and 20 March 2003 (ground) and lasted just over one month, including 26 ...

, Casmoussa chose to stay. Casmoussa was kidnapped, reportedly by gunmen in Mosul, at the age of 66 on January 17, 2005. Although there were fears that this marked a new wave of attacks on

Christians Christians () are people who follow or adhere to Christianity, a monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus Christ. The words ''Christ'' and ''Christian'' derive from the Koine Greek title ''Christós'' (Χρι ...

in Iraq, it appeared that the motive was principally for ransom, reportedly US$200,000. The kidnapping was widely condemned. The Archbishop was freed one day later on January 18 with no ransom being paid. On Tuesday, March 1, 2011,

Pope Benedict XVI Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...

, gave his consent to the canonical election (made by the Synod of Bishops of the Patriarchal

Syriac Catholic Church The Syriac Catholic Church ( syc, ܥܕܬܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܬܐ ܩܬܘܠܝܩܝܬܐ, ʿĪṯo Suryayṯo Qaṯolīqayṯo, ar, الكنيسة السريانية الكاثوليكية) is an Eastern Catholic Churches, Eastern Catholic Christianity ...

) of Father

Yohanna Petros Mouche Yohanna Petros Mouche (born November 23, 1943) is an Iraqi Syriac Catholic prelate. He serves as the Archbishop of Mosul. Early life Yohanna Petros Mouche was born on November 23, 1943, in Bakhdida, Nineveh Governorate, Iraq. He was ordained as ...

, until now the

Protosyncellus A protosyncellus or protosynkellos ( el, πρωτοσύγκελλος) is the principal deputy of the bishop of an eparchy for the exercise of administrative authority in an Eastern Orthodox or Eastern Catholic church. The equivalent position in t ...

(Vicar General) of the Archeparchy of Mosul, as the new Archbishop-elect of the Archeparchy of Mosul, succeeding Casmoussa. Casmoussa was transferred to the Syriac Catholic Patriarchal Curia. On Monday, January 13, 2014,

Pope Francis Pope Francis ( la, Franciscus; it, Francesco; es, link=, Francisco; born Jorge Mario Bergoglio, 17 December 1936) is the head of the Catholic Church. He has been the bishop of Rome and sovereign of the Vatican City State since 13 March 2013. ...

appointed him

of the Syriac Catholics in Western Europe.Nomina di Visitatore Apostolico per i fedeli siri residenti in Europa occidentale
in: ''Bollettino Sala Stampa della Santa Sede'' (2014-01-13) On Wednesday, June 21, 2017, Pope Francis accepted his resignation as Apostolic Visitor of the Syriac Catholics in Western Europe and appointed Mgr. Rami Al-Kabalan as his successor.

Positions

References

External links

Interview with Catholic World NewsBBC history of Iraqi Christians
{{DEFAULTSORT:Casmoussa, Basile Georges 1938 births Living people 20th-century Eastern Catholic archbishops 21st-century Eastern Catholic archbishops Syriac Catholic bishops Iraqi Eastern Catholics Iraqi archbishops People from Mosul People from Bakhdida Kidnapped Iraqi people